The Secrets Behind the Galaxy
by Ulysses00
Summary: Watcher 7 is an enhanced Chiss from the Imperial Eugenics Program. Cipher 8 is an agent that outperforms all the others, but can that two of them save Imperial Intelligence before the Empire falls?
1. Chapter 1

_**Spoiler Alert**_ _This story is not recommended if you do not want spoilers of the Imperial Agent story in Star Wars: The Old Republic._

Watcher 7 walked down the corridor of Imperial Intelligence Headquarters, pleased to see several aliens on staff. As of only a few years ago Intelligence was comprised of Humans, a Sith species Pureblood and himself, a Chiss. The pureblood was a female called Zeeltra whom was non-force sensitive which was very unusual for her species. Because of this abnormality she was forced to pursue a life in the military or Intelligence. She had spent around ten years training to be a Minder and a further four years applying for a post at headquarters until she was finally accepted just to have another potentially useful asset. She had been given the designation Minder 9 and had been working at headquarters for eight years. Unfortunately for her though she was a disgrace to the Sith species and would never be allowed to rise to a greater position in the Empire. Unlike her however, Watcher 7 was a Chiss from Phase I of the Imperial Eugenics Program. He had deep blue skin and bright red eyes. His black hair was medium length and he wore a cybernetic implant around the bone of his left eye. The Imperial Eugenics Program was created fifty years ago when the Empire felt they needed an edge over the Republic. It had taken seven years to come to fruition but had been a major success. There had only been one Phase for a long time but another batch had eventually been created with the people ready to join the ranks of Imperial Intelligence in less than a years time, where there would be another twenty twenty-five year olds working as Watchers and Minders. In Phase one however Watcher 7 had been the only alien experiment just to appease the Chiss Aristocracy, which had provided the Empire with critical information and supplies during the war, which had come to a truce twelve years ago. Although, even though Watcher 7 was an alien he had been the most successful subject and was the only one chosen for trialling the Cybernetic Implants that the Imperial Technological Bureau had developed which were around eighty times faster than any other implants in the galaxy. Because of the speed of the processing only an enhanced mind could use them which meant he was the only worthy candidate. So far he was the only person to have them but there were more being tested.

Watcher 7 had been working in Intelligence for twenty years now and was now forty three. As a Chiss he had a lifespan around that of Humans but the Eugenics Program had modified his genetics which increased his lifespan to around double and enhanced his cognitive abilities, memory and intelligence. He was an adept at Slicing and finding tiny hidden pieces of information in the Holonet, which was what made him very good at his job. He was also enhanced in more ways than the other subjects in his phase, which was all to do with keeping the Empire on the Chiss' good side. They had made him very good at cellular regeneration, his DNA was very quickly repaired from any damage, he was stronger and quicker than most people and could fire a pistol with extreme accuracy. He was cold, acted on his instincts and he was not scared to take stupid risks if he could see them paying off later on.

When Watcher 7 had first started he had immediately risen to the most respected Watcher within the first few weeks which was unprecedented for any alien in Imperial history. Since then he had worked hard to prove to the Empire that alien alliances were something to be considered should they want to destroy the Republic for good and keep hold on the galaxy. The Empire had not changed by much, their prejudice still very much prominant, but there were some signs of change. One example of that was the fact that he had been created by the Empire from a donation of Genetic material by the Chiss Aristocracy. The other big example was the fact that more aliens had just been employed in headquarters, which was a big deal indeed. This view that Watcher 7 held was very different from most Chiss which was what made the Empire and the Chiss allies. Both of them believed that they were superior to aliens and held their Xenophobic ideas very closely. As Watcher 7 neared his desk he recounted that he had seen two Twi'leks, another Chiss, and a Duros called Lodenth, who had been working here for five years and could understand just about every major language in the galaxy, and even speak most of them. There were also rumors that the Technological Bureau had employed a dozen Anomids but he had heard no confirmation on these whispers as yet.

When he reached his desk and sat down he scanned his hand-print and his voice print to access his terminal, then imputed his password to unlock his account. Security was tight, and nearly impossible to breach. He began checking through his messages and found a priority from Keeper that said he wanted a meeting in a few hours, and about another hundred from various informants from across Balmorra, Nar Shaddaa and Quesh. He began listing down those he needed to pass on relevant information to and sent off an acknowledgement reply to the informants. After three hours he noticed Watcher 5 get up from his desk and walk over to him.

"So, busy day or are you just pissing around with a few reports to waste some time?"

"I'm not pissing around, I'll have you know I _always_ make full use of my time" replied Watcher 7 sarcastically. "Anyway, what are you doing?"

"Going through some reports of Sith activity for some other important Sith. After about five minutes it just becomes pointless. They all stab each other in the back anyway so why bother using us to spy on the other Sith, just kill each other and leave us to fight a war so they can keep making power plays."

"You're never one to talk carefully about the Sith, are you?"

"Nope. I don't see the point, because I'm the one they need to get their data handling done, they're not going to kill me. Hopefully."

"Well, I suppose you have a point there. Anyway, anything interesting in those reports worthy of gossip?"

"Unfortunately not. Its just file after file of dull Sith movements. I suppose to them its useful but for us its just an inconvenience from our real work."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Anyway, I'll need to get moving, I have an important meeting with Keeper to attend in five minutes."

"Oh, well don't let me intrude on your fun. I'll just be over there, boring myself to death for another eight hours before I go home, while you get an interesting task to boost your career."

"Ha, you're such an ass sometimes" Watcher 7 replies jokingly.

Watcher 5 walks back to his desk and Watcher 7 locks his terminal and heads over to Keepers office, which is just around fifteen meters away and is very convenient as he is often called to undertake vital and interesting tasks or operations. Keeper was a human male at around fifty years of age with grey hair . He had been a Watcher for four years before becoming Keeper as he had been the longest serving member at the time as there had been plenty of retirements at that time. His predecessor had been Keeper for around three years and before that a Minder then a Watcher for a total of four years, which was unusual however nothing too suspicious was evident. He had risen quickly to the Minister of Intelligence, which was the highest position in the Empire that a non-Sith could achieve and had served very well, with so little experience beforehand.

Watcher 7 knocked on Keepers door and waited for four seconds before entering.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, come in Watcher 7. Now, I have an important operation which I need you to undertake along with Cipher 8."

"What is it, sir?"

"For about a month now we have been intercepting messages between the Director of the Republic SIS and an SIS agent named Ardun Koth. We don't have any specifics what it is Koth is doing but he has been putting together a team and has been granted operational freedom. I want you to get Cipher 8 into his team and find out what Koth wants."

"How long do I have to get him in?"

"Their mission begins in a few days so I'm going to let you use the infiltration plan I set into motion nearly a year ago. After the mission the SIS pulled on Nar Shaddaa last year I decided I wanted to have the ability to get someone into SIS very quickly so I had Watcher 1 begin sending messages as an anonymous Agent that was wanting to defect. From that point they would receive information every two weeks that gave them the ability to strike at some of our small supply depots without being caught. Over time we have begun sending more information and now we have their trust. We will now need you to use this to get Cipher 8 into the team."

"This doesn't sound too hard."

"I'm sure it wont be, for you. But a mission like this can be demanding for the Agents carrying them out. Will Cipher 8 be able to cope or should I choose someone else?"

"No sir, he can do it fine."

"Good. There is also one other thing I want him to do. Watcher 1 has been intercepting these messages and has noticed something odd. In the messages there have been several mentions of an agent with the codename "Hunter". Six months ago, during Operation Ice-freeze, a recording was found by accident that had an agent, codename "Hunter", being given orders to maintain his cover in the SIS for a further six months. It is unlikely to be a coincidence which means we could have some other group of people also working against the Republic. I would like to find out and see if we can form an Alliance with them if possible."

"OK, so Cipher 8 is to get whatever it is Koth wants and find out more about this "Hunter"."

"Precisely. Any questions?"

"No sir!"

"Good, then you can go. Dismissed."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Note -_** _Short Chapter but I thought I would leave it there before I reveal more about the mystery. I'll upload soon._

Watcher 7 walked out of Keepers office and back to his terminal. He began by requesting Cipher 8 return to Headquarters. He continued by sending out messages to the SIS to set up a meeting. He spent the next four hours studying the Psych profiles of the SIS members in Koth's team. When Cipher 8 appeared in Headquarters Watcher 7 took him to a briefing room.

"So, Cipher 8, how was the break?"

"Fine, but it was starting to get boring. I hope this Operation will be fun."

"It will be. I'm currently waiting confirmation from the SIS about your posting in SIS agent Ardun Koth's team. You will be posing as a traitor to the Empire, a defector. You will wait the course of Koth's mission and take what it is he is after, which is something we don't know. All that we know about his mission is that it is vital for winning the war that will be coming soon. He has been given Operational freedom and requires an agent to work in Imperial territory, which gives us the ability to get you in. Your cover will be that of an agent whom has been sending classified information to the SIS for a year now. I will provide you with all the messages sent back and forth if you want to view them. I'm also sending you the team members Psych profiles as well. Any questions?"

"If I'm asked to prove my loyalty, how far can I go?"

"Do what it takes, this Operation is vital so I don't want you holding back, make this a success."

"When shall I proceed?"

"I'm awaiting a reply, like I said, but I have some equipment that you will be provided. The Imperial Technological Bureau has created some new weapons which I will provide you with. Over there is your new Sniper Rifle, Blaster Pistol and Blaster Rifle. Theres also a new Grapple Hook which is four times as strong as the previous model, along with an EMP Grenade, which has a twenty meter radius. Take the equipment to your ship and prepare for the Operation, I'll alert you to the rest of the key details when I have them. Dismissed."

Watcher 7 returned to his terminal and opened the reply. He contacted Cipher 8 and told him to meet Hunter in a Casino on Nar Shaddaa. After five more hours of sorting through reports from field agents Watcher 7's shift ends and he returns home to his apartment.

When he returns to Headquarters then following day he plays a message left for him by Cipher 8.

"This is Cipher 8 reporting. I have established contact with Hunter and destroyed the new droid factory Nem'ro set up for us. I'm in the group and I'm heading off to Taris but there has been a complication. I can't explain but I'm sure you will be able to figure it out. I'm sure you know all of the Empires secrets, or can get them. Thats all I can report for now. Cipher 8, out."

Watcher 7 began analysing the recording and found nothing, which was unsurprising. He listened to the message again and began studying the details of the hardware and software of the Imperial Intelligence Archives, which were over eight hundred years old. He put together a plan and knew he would soon have to put it into action. After making his preparations he walked over to Watcher 5.

"Would you mind talking to my hologram over at my terminal for a while?"

"You certainly do have some odd requests. I suppose so but I want to know what you are doing when we get a chance to talk later."

"Sure, but for now just don't let anyone know I'm not really there. Got to go, but I'll talk to you later."

Watcher 7 walked out of Operations Division and returned five minutes later to sit back at his terminal. After one minute the power went out and the backup systems failed to engage. The small generators in the terminals provides a glow from the screens but the room was about pitch black. Watcher 5 walked over to Watcher 7 and began talking to him.

Meanwhile Watcher 7 is also jumping into a maintenance shaft with a stealth field generator on and makes his way to the archives. He opens a panel on the floor and gets out. The archives are empty and Watcher 7 is able to connect his Implants to one of the terminals and access and download data.

"Access data-banks. Keywords, Brainwashing, Cipher 8."

He copies all the data and exits back to Operations Division. Ten minutes later the real Watcher 7 sits at his terminal as the power comes on and leaves to the nearest Cantina with everyone else as Intelligence closes for the day.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Note -_** _I'm going to start trying to update more often so if anyone has any feedback then I would be more than happy to hear it, criticism is great if it helps improve the story. I'm also going to start thinking of ideas for a second in a few weeks and I'd be happy to hear if anyone has any ideas they think should be included._

Watcher 7 sits in a private booth in the Cantina with two Alderaanian Brandy's and sorts through the data. Watcher 5 walks over and sits, takes a large mouthful from the drink and waits for him to begin talking.

"So, any problems?" queries Watcher 7.

"No, everyone was busy trying to speak to a Minder or to Keeper to find out the problem. So, what happened, what the hell were you doing?"

"Getting answers."

"I think some elaboration will be required."

"Cipher 8 seems to think that the Empire has some secrets that we need to know. Well, thats what I got from his message. Listen for yourself."

Watcher 7 played Cipher 8's message and Watcher 5 listened closely, intent on reading behind the face of the information for the details.

"This is Cipher 8 reporting. I have established contact with Hunter and destroyed the new droid factory Nem'ro set up for us. I'm in the group and I'm heading off to Taris but there has been a complication. I can't explain but I'm sure you will be able to figure it out. I'm sure you know all of the Empires secrets, or can get them. Thats all I can report for now. Cipher 8, out."

"Well, whats your conclusion?"

"Well, there are a number of possibilities. Mind control is main factor to look at. What background information have we got?"

"From what I've gathered, Koth is very possibly a former Jedi, by the way he dresses and carries himself. I've looked at a few mission reports that we have intercepted and combined with what our agents have said on run-ins with him I'm fairly certain that he was a Jedi Knight who didn't believe the Jedi were strong enough to defeat us, hence why he joined the SIS."

"Seems logical. So Jedi mind tricks could be a possibility for weaker agents but its not likely going to work on a Cipher, especially given that Koth wouldn't have been a Master. I'd put it down to brainwashing, very deeply ingrained and embedded. I'd also say he came to the same conclusion that the Republic doesn't research that. Therefor it was the Empire that did it. And I take it that's what you were trying to find out"

"Absolutely. I found a flaw in the Archive security systems."

"Seriously? If you get found out thats you finished. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I would not bother fucking this up. So I didn't. And I found it. The IX Serum, the Empires brainwashing tool used on all Cipher agents in case of problems in the field."

"So, anyone else had it used on as well?"

"You, me and a dozen other Watchers."

"Shit."

"I know. Good news is that I have notes on how to regain control over our minds. The bad news is that it involves reusing the Serum and making a new keyword. The Empire unfortunately doesn't keep a store of it, it gets created when needed and in small quantities."

"So, any plans?"

"Not yet, but I'll come up with one. I just need you to be ready when I do. I'll call on you to help me with it at some point, but It'll be a while."

"Not a problem."

"Good. Now finish your drink and I'll talk to you later, I have data to look through."

Watcher 5 swallowed the last of his drink and left Watcher 7 alone to find what he needed. After four hours and eight brandies he got all he needed from the files and reached the conclusion that he needed to get back to headquarters.

"Watcher 7, what is it that you need?" Keeper emerged from his office as Watcher 7 approached.

"Sir, I need to begin an investigation into a matter of great urgency."

"And what is the matter?"

"It's probably best if we discuss this in your office, not just out the door."

They entered and Watcher 7 began explaining the situation.

"I have found evidence that Intelligence is compromised, at least as far as I am aware. The Empire as I'm sure _you_ know have brainwashed Cipher 8 and the Republic has his keyword."

"How did you find this out?"

"I got into the Archives after I surged out the power. That little event earlier was me."

"If you don't have something to show for it then you won't be in a great position."

"That's not a problem."

Watcher 7 began explaining about how he had come to the conclusion about the Empires brainwashing just as Watcher 5 had. He then began detailing how he had set up a holographic projection ball that could move around and make it seem that there was a person there, so that nobody would suspect that he wasn't really at his terminal during the blackout. He then went on to describe how he had got the information from the archives and what he had found when he had looked it over in the cantina.

"So, my analysis so far is that the Republic is able to gain access to out Archives, or someone else is."

"How likely is it that the Republic is able to do that?"

"Not very high. But the clincher is that flaw that exists in the Archives security system. During an attack or power failure the Archives are supposed to shut down and be inaccessible. On the surface they are but they turn on as soon as you try to use them. Not only that but all the security measures also switch off leaving it all unprotected. When I went down there all I did was download the files, nothing else required."

"So what do you think this points to?"

"I would say that someone over eight hundred years ago got into the Empire and changed the security details when the Archives were created. Since then people have been able to access anything they want."

"But during normal circumstances?"

"Everything works properly, all the security is enabled. Which means I know when someone stole the files about the brainwashing. Nine months ago we had that Cyber attack with the slicers nearby sending in that burrowing device to get a physical connection to out servers. I spoke to Fixer 11 and he told me some of the tech on that thing was not from the Republic. After he had a more in depth look at it he claimed that it was capable of shutting down power and cloaking data access but I don't think he passed it on to you as it seemed somewhat irrelevant. I now believe that it shut the power down in one of the terminals so it could gain access to the data without flagging up any alerts."

"Do you have proof of this?"

"No, thats why I came to talk to you about this. I need access to the Archives again to find out if I'm right about this."

"Then you can go. If this is real, then we have a conspiracy capable of getting our information."

"Thank you sir, I'll be back when I get something."

Watcher 7 headed for the Archives, determined to get the proof that he needed.


	4. Chapter 4

_Apologies to anyone waiting for a new chapter but I have had to study for some exams recently. I have managed to find more time in the day to work on the story and I will definitely be able to upload more often. I have also been working on the sequel which I think is even better than this one and it will not be taking inspiration from SWTOR at all, unlike this one which I give credit to Bioware for. I hope people enjoy this short chapter and I will be uploading Chapter five very soon which should be much longer._

Watcher 7 approached the terminal that held all the security records. Every data bank in the Archives was connected through this terminal so the decryption program could decrypt the files. This meant that every record accessed was recorded and gave him the opportunity to find what he needed. To complete his theory he looked up records in the past forty-eight hours and didn't find anything about his trip into here earlier. He looked further back and narrowed the search parameters. He went back to the time of the slicer attack and found what he needed. Even though records of data access were not kept, information about power losses were, as it would be obvious when the power failed. Once he captured the data he had an idea. He left and crouched down next to a maintenance panel, and after a minute managed to pull it free. He crawled in and located the data mining chip that had been implanted here nearly seventeen years ago. When he left he placed the panel back and returned to Keeper's office.

"Sir, I have proof that someone has stolen the data."

"Then I want to see it."

"Of course." Watcher 7 uploaded a copy of the data to the terminal and displayed it all on screen. After several minutes of work a message appears saying "Reconstruction Complete". Just as Watcher 7 is about to open it he momentarily pictures his brain splattered across the large screen and blood running down and pooling over the terminal controls. He watches as the vision turns and shows his body falling to the ground with a large hole through his head and Keeper standing behind him with his arm outstretched holding a pistol. As the sound of the gun reverberates throughout the room he hears Keeper speaking to him from the real world and returns to focus on what is really happening.

"Right, here we are. The information we have shows that during the slicer attack several months ago some of the power was shut off for a few seconds in bursts. I also got data from the data mining chip which shows what data was taken."

"Impressive work, you and these people."

"It is also evident that they have stolen far more dating back to a month after the chip was implanted. It doesn't appear they know it exists."

"Do we know anything else yet?"

"No, but I plan to find out everything I can. I am officially requesting to be temporarily suspended from attending HQ work while I investigate this mysterious group."

"Granted. I want them gone so spend as long as you need to bring them down."

"There is also the matter of our brainwashing. I know about it and I'm not keen on staying brainwashed."

"Understood. I wont do anything to stop you dealing with it but I also wont help you either."

"That's fine. I already have a plan."

Watcher 7 left to return to his Apartment in the center of Kass city.


	5. Chapter 5

Watcher 7 entered his Apartment and collapsed into his chair, which gave him a great view of Kass City. He lived on the top floor of the best luxury Apartment tower on the planet and the top floor meant that he had the highest view of the North side of the city next to the Sith Sanctum which towered over his Apartment by ten meters, which was noticeable at this height. The Sanctum and Intelligence Headquarters were located nearly a mile North of his Apartment and provided him with the best view in the City. At this height he had a landing pad, unlike the lower floors, and was away from the noise of the city however not enough that his enhanced hearing couldn't pick it up. His Apartment was not too big however was a little larger than one person would actually need. His living room was sizable and the outer wall curved round and was completely made of reinforced glass save for the small border of metal wall. The glass also had a Nano-weaving of tech which could turn it into a large screen fifty meters in diameter. There were also small projectors in the walls and roof which allowed him to display data in the middle of the air.

After sitting for a few minutes in his chair he got up and entered the kitchen. Everything he had here was expensive and many people had asked him how he afforded the most expensive place in the city. He always found a way to evade answering and had never told anyone how he had bribed an extremely wealthy Hutt for an excess of fifteen million credits million credits in his first year on the job. At the time there were major slaving routes becoming disrupted and he had been tasked with finding out who was responsible. It hadn't taken long to gather evidence against Tirado the Hutt however he had spotted an opportunity. Tirado's greatest rival, Sincla'da, was providing the Republic access to a secure Hyperspace lane and had evidence of it. After a few hours of negotiating he had managed to convince the Hutt to pay him nearly sixteen million credits in exchange for covering up his involvement in the slave disruption and to bring down Sincla'da. Once the Hutt had been brought down he had managed to lay claim to nearly four million credits worth of Spice which he had sold to Tirado. He had since managed to build a dozen safe houses across the galaxy with a ship and a stash of credits in each. He had also used most of it to purchase this Apartment and over the years used various bribes and bonuses to improve his safe houses. His job in Intelligence paid him enough to live comfortably and all extras were paid for from other sources.

He walked round the circular kitchen table and drew out his strongest drink, which was a dark green sparkling liquid. He poured a glass and drank it down, allowing the liquid to create a burning sensation in his throat as his slid down. He poured another glass and walked through to the living room with it and the bottle.

"Holo systems activate. Lock Visual Cortex Display."

As he spoke the projectors filled the room with a slight blue glow. When he locked the display it then meant only he could see it as the proper display would only glow in a way that only he could see, which looked perfectly normal to him but invisible to anyone else. He gestured with his hand and as he layed down the bottle a control holo appeared and followed his right hand allowing him to use it at will. When he finished his drink he put down the glass and began to organise the files into categories so that he could make a quick start after he had some rest. Once he was finished he shut off the projection and set the window to blacken. When he entered his bedroom he undresses and crawled into his bed. After a few seconds he fell asleep and spent twenty hours in a deep and dreamless slumber.


	6. Chapter 6

When he woke up the room was in total darkness, due to there being no windows. He turned onto his back layed there, his mind clear and empty of thoughts with nothing but the blackness to look at. After a minute ideas began flooding into his mind and he turned on the lights to minimum brightness. He got up and entered the adjoined refresher. He turned on the shower and stood for nearly an hour, allowing the hot water to burn away the stress of the job. Once he was dried and dressed he entered the kitchen and prepared a hot meal out of Zether meat ,which was rare and expensive, and some vegetables. Once he had eaten he turned on the projectors and began working, sorting through the files he had gathered from the archives. After six hours he accesses the Kass City Spaceport log and checked the details of the ships docked there. Once he had found what he needed he called Watcher 5.

"Watcher 7, care to tell me what you're doing?"

"Well right now I am planning on undoing the brainwashing. I need your help and I have a plan. If you have time I need you to get some things for me."

"You have a list ready for me?"

"Of course. If you can get all that I can get us a lab to synthesise the serum."

"Where is this lab?"

"At the spaceport. I found a ship with a proper med lab. It will have everything we need. We just need to keep this a secret though so we can't use the chemicals that are there."

"Right. Well I don't have time off for a while yet. When does this need to be done?"

"According to the details I have the serum takes about and hour to synthesise. We only have five hours until the ship is due to leave and it's the only one that we can use."

"Can't you get the supplies then?"

"No, I have other things to attend to right now. Tell Keeper you need three hours off to help me with the Conspiracy. I already told him about it all so that will be enough."

"Ok. I'll go talk to him. Send the list and I will meet you there in an hour and a half."

"Good. Now, get going, if there are any delays then we might have to eat into out two hour slot before the ships to leave."

When he ended the call he prepared the file for synthesising the serum so he just had to upload it when they were ready. Once he was done he opened the door to the landing pad outside and walked out into the cold wind and rain battering into his face. At this height the wind and rain was heavier than on the ground and that was one of the reasons he wanted to live here. As he climbed into his speeder he looked over at the rest of the city below and thought about how easy the Republic could destroy them. He set a course for the Spaceport and a few minutes later landed and stepped out into the harsh assault of wind and a symphony of noise as people shouted and ships took off and landed. Speeders passed by and ships rose into the air. Even amid chaos however, there was an order that was always established. No matter how busy somewhere was the Policing Droids always ensured that there were no masses of crowds and they kept everything running smoothly.

As he approached the entrance he wrapped his arms around his tightly zipped coat to keep him warmer in the freezing air. A rush of people emerged from the building and even in their haste to reach a taxi speeder before the were gone they still managed to avoid him when they saw the Imperial Intelligence symbol on the shoulder of his coat. When they passed he reached the door and entered into the warmth of the Spaceport. He walked by the queue of citizens and spoke to a woman behind the desk. As she looked up she began to tell him to wait until she spotted the symbol.

"Sorry sir, I had no idea. What can I do for Intelligence today?"

"I need information. Has the occupant of Hanger 21-Alpha returned yet?"

"No sir. He is due to return in a few hours."

"Good. I hope you understand that this is to be a secret matter."

"Of course sir, I wont say a word."

He left her to her job and made his way to the hanger. When he arrived he commed Watcher 5 and told him where to go. While he waited he sliced open the ship and got inside. After a few minutes he had uploaded the files and the equipment began working automatically. Once Watcher 5 arrived with everything they began connecting up all the vials of chemicals and allowed the machines to do the rest of the work.

"So, what happens once we use it?"

"It will take about a week before it takes effect. Then we can just enter a new keyword. From the files it appears that we can enter them ourselves when the time is right."

"So, in a week we will be free from the control of the serum."

After an hour the serum finished synthesising and they each injected a dose. They left and no evidence of their time there was evident. When Watcher 7 returned home he opened up the files that were waiting for him and read the reports that Cipher 8 had sent him. After a while it became evident that 8's mission was coming to a close and he began preparing himself to make a report to him and Keeper.


	7. Chapter 7

When he woke he decided to have a short break from the monotonous work and so got dressed and put on his black boots and special coat. He took the lift down to the ground floor and stepped out. As he left through the front entrance he emerged into a downpour of rain. Having not long woken up his senses were razor sharp. As he slowly walked down the street, among the wealthiest of the citizens, he took in all the details of his surroundings. He felt the drops of rain hit him and the cool breeze blow through his hair. Kass city was always alive with activity as people were constantly on the go. In the wealthy areas Kass city was magnificent, always as pristine as it could be, given the constant falling of rain that was never ending. It was believed that the perpetual rain and darkness was due to a ritual performed by the emperor centuries ago however nobody actually knew. In the wealthy streets of the city there were overhead shields that kept the rain clear of the people walking around but off to the side was left uncovered and meant that it was quieter as very few people wanted to be soaked. After about half an hour be reached his favourite cafe. He entered the building and took the lift to the top floor, which allowed him a view above many of the surrounding buildings. He sat down at a window table after scaring off the previous occupants with his Intelligence symbol and ordered his favourite drink and muffin. He paid and looked out at the speeders and taxis flying around the sky lanes and the lines of people in the streets below rushing about in an ordered way. He strained his vision and looked out to a slightly poorer area of the city, which was inclined a little further downwards. As he watched he saw crowds of people gathering and covering their heads as they tried to avoid the rain as there weren't any overhead shields which shimmered as they rain struck. Although it was easy to forget, much of the city was not pristine and ordered. There were far larger areas that were not as maintained or looked after. As he ate he savoured every flavour molecule while they lasted, since much like the Republic, they too were going to disappear, just in much less time and with much less work.

Once he left he wandered into the closest slum area and walked around. With each step he felt the sticky layer of grime as he lifted his boot. He passed by dozens of people slumped in the corners of the streets and thought about how many people shared their situation. After a while be became increasingly aware of how many people were watching him and noted that he would likely be attacked. In the normal and rich areas of the city he was feared but down here Intelligence never really bothered with the people so he was just another target for people to rob. He turned a corner and neared a shield which blocked off the stairway to the better areas and kept the poor separated. He drew his Intelligence key card and approached the terminal to the left side. Just as he neared it over two dozen people jumped out and he drew his gun. He fired one shot into the nearest attacker and he fell, as a spray of blood gushed out onto the people be him. He fired again at the furthest hunter and she collapsed in a second. Having seen his accuracy the rest dispersed as they knew the legacy of Intelligence, even if they didn't have any immediate respect or fear for the agents that represented it. He slid his card through the panel and scanned his hand print, which disabled the barrier that kept the people separated from the more wealthy. When he had ascended just two steps he heard the barrier reactivate which trapped them down there. He walked for a while to allow his head to clear in the cold air of the city before he returned to the task of unraveling the mystery behind the mysterious group.


	8. Chapter 8

He sat down in his chair and looked out the window. When he had returned he had realised he had spent over two hours walking around and so needed to get on with the investigation. He stood up and shaded the window, throwing him into complete privacy. He turned on the projectors and began searching through the data. Nine months ago, after the slicer attack he had sent the device which had burrowed into the archives to Fixer 18 for analysis. He had got back the details but had had no use for them at the time. Now though, they were his key to finding leads. He contacted Keeper and after a few minutes was able to run a program through the archives to find information on other incidents involving strange technology. After an hour he had pulled up all the files he could and began reading through them for any details which could be significant. An hour later a beeping sound rang out alerting him to an incoming holocall. He answered it and a projection of Cipher 8 appeared.

"So, how goes the infiltration?"

"It's going well. I do have a problem though."

"I'm aware. Keyword: Iconoclasm. New order: Do not accept any further orders from Koth or other individuals designated by same. You are to play along with the charade until the time comes for you to act against them and you will be ble to discuss it and your mission to me."

"New order accepted."

"Good. Now I believe you are heading to Quesh. Any idea what it is you are after?"

"No, unfortunately. I will find out when the mission starts. Koth said that he needed a few days to organise things that I don't know about. He also said I'm to head to Quesh and maintain cover, so I'll have a chance to help out our affairs there. I don't suppose you have any missions in mind there?"

"No, but if you contact Watcher 11 you may get something. I believe he is handling the covert side of our fight. You should be able find him in the Command Centre there. Now get going, the fight there is important and undersupplied."

"Yes, sir!"

He cut the transmission and returned to the reports from Cipher 8. He had found nothing exciting about Hunter but that didn't surprise him. There was plenty of information included, as always, but his real focus was on the files from the archives. Based on what he had it was safe to assume that this conspiracy had been around for over eight hundred years to have been able to alter the hardware of the archives. Also from the files it was evident that they had acted against the Empire for more than five centuries however had not destroyed them, which raised questions. Although not much more information could be had from the files in the archives it did provide him with a basis to continue the investigation. After another few hours he came up with a theory about how the conspiracy operates but still needed solid information to prove it. Once he had come up with a plan he decided to get some sleep and so twelve hours later, after sleeping and eating, he began his work to find the proof he needed to confirm his theory about the conspiracy.


	9. Chapter 9

He started on the basis that they operated secretly, which meant that they most likely didn't have too many agents properly working for them. It was then logical to assume that they often hired Mandalorians to carry out work, since they were the most skilled Bounty Hunters in the galaxy. Working on this conclusion he began by slicing into the Mandalorian servers for information. The security was high but not a match for a skilled slicer, especially one of his calibre. It took only a few minutes and once he was done he was able to look for something of importance. He immediately opened up the files on jobs that had been documented and started looking for a pattern. He set a program to search through the details and create a list of all the contractors mentioned. After a minute he had a complete list and began looking at the details of each job that had been provided by companies. He was particularly interested in those that dated back several centuries. He brought up files on the companies and read through them. As he read through them he whispers important information out loud to help remember it.

"Sys-Tech, six hundred years ago. Bio-Helical, nine hundred years ago. Cyclo, eight hundred years ago..."

He read through several more and found that those three were the only ones that dated back over hundreds of years that still existed. He opened up the public files of them from the Holonet and began researching them. Bio-Helical was the oldest and had actually been created not long before the Great Hyperspace War. As he dug into its history he found out that it was a Genetics research company that specialised in Genetic Modifications and medical technology. They had been responsible for the eradication of over three dozen diseases and had improved the effectivity of many treatments over four hundred percent. They were privately owned however and that was what was important about them. He searched for several hours but found only top Scientists that had worked for them. After taking a short break to eat he returned and focused his efforts on identifying the founder of the company. After another hour of digging through information he finally found a list of names that showed all of the company owners. It had been started by a Twi'lek called Vanet Amurai, whom had passed it on to his son, who had then sold it on to a Human businessman called Caldon Okara. Since then it had not changed hands to anyone else, even given that Caldon had been dead for over eight hundred years. After looking through for more names he began searching for other companies associated with Caldon and so turned his attention towards the Okara Droid Factory on Balmorra. Given its wide spread publicity it was not hard to find out he had created the factory, along with another man called Zeven Ithora who co-owned Cyclo, and a woman named Siv'va Ahiro, who owned most of Sys-Tech. After finding out the names of the people he looked for information on them. He found that they were all born during the Great Hyperspace War and were adults by the end of it. He looked for records of their death certificates but drew a blank. He was not surprised though, information from that long ago was not particularly detailed however he had an idea that involved a trip to the Technological Bureau.


	10. Chapter 10

He swiped his Intelligence pass past the scanner and placed his hand on the panel. After a few seconds it beeped and the door opened. He typed in his access code and the ray shield turned off. Once he walked past the sensor the shield turned on again and the door closed. Security was tight around here and with good reason. The Bureau had many projects running and all of them had to remain secure. So far some of the greatest achievements were new weapons and shields, along with his Cybernetic implants and supercomputers.

He walked further in and quickly reached another barrier. He entered another code and waited for it to ask for another password. Each door required a code and a password that he had set several years prior. The passwords were randomly generated each time from the list he set and he had to read the statement he had set along with it to work out the password required. A lot of work had gone into the security system and it had been worth it, as not attack had ever been successful. He passed through nearly another dozen doors before he reached the sector he needed. He opened the door to the Binary labs, which specialised in computer programming and data. He took a few steps and called to the technicians at the far side of the lab.

"So, busy lately?!"

"Yes. Good to see you again. You here on official business or just for a social visit?"

"Not so much official, but it is for help with an investigation I'm working on."

"Well I'll see if we can help. What's the problem?"

"I've been doing what I can but I've hit a problem. I need information, the only problem is that it is from over a thousand years ago. Think you can help?"

"Well, that is tricky. That's a long time ago, I'm surprised it has any bearing on anything now."

"I know, but it's very important. I know it's a long shot but I was hoping you would have something."

"Well we don't have anything here that could help you, but I believe another lab was working on something that I believe may be of use to you. If you head to lab 16-G they might be able to help. It's just in the next sector."

"Thanks. I'll head over there now."

He entered the lab and spoke to the lead Technician.

"Watcher 7, Imperial Intelligence. I was told you might be able to help me with my investigation."

"I can't make any promises but we can see."

"Well my problem is that I need to be able to get information from a long time ago. Nearly a thousand years ago."

"Well that is a problem. But I do have one idea. Follow me through here."

Watcher 7 walked with him through the lab to the storage rooms while they conversed.

"About a year ago we completed a prototype for a project we dubbed "Project Syphon". The aim was to build a generator that could convert Dark Energy into a form of energy that we could use. We eventually built a machine that we thought could do it but instead it ripped open a Wormhole and used a lot of energy in doing so."

"That's quite a feat."

"We know. When we did it we got hold of the Science Bureau and called over the top Physicists. They looked at what we had done and with their help we developed a proper Wormhole device. The only problem is that its not stable. A team of Physicists have been working on it for nearly a year now and thay have made progress, but until we get it refined, it's not really usable."

"There must be a reason you're telling me this."

"Yes. We thought about other possible applications of this technology and created a small chip. It is made from Nano-technology so it is portable, but it 8s limited and still requires a large quantity of energy for it to work."

"How much?"

"Depends on the use. But if you want information from a long time ago, then just connect the device up to a power supply and use it. You can open up a tiny wormhole and send a signal through."

"I'm surprised this isn't already being used."

"We are keeping it secret for now. Imagine if somebody found out about this, masses of resources would be thrown at it to perfect it. Very soon we would have millions of people opening wormholes everywhere all the time. It would be chaos."

"But you trust me with it."

"Yes. I don't think you'll tell everyone and give away the device. Everyone that knows is keeping it secret, and that's the way it needs to stay. I will give you the device but you must agree to keep it secret."

"Absolutely. I have no need for the fame or wealth from it. Also, the proof that nobody gets the technology is that nobody is opening up wormholes. If someone had then I think we would know about it."

"Yes exactly, that's why I'm not too worried about telling you. Give me a minute to get it."

Twenty minutes later he left the Bureau and returned home. He held the case in his hand and looked at it. It was a hand sized black box with lights and a few buttons on the top panel. He plugged it into the Apartment power supple and set it to open a small, pin sized wormhole nearly eight hundred years ago. At that time zone everything he needed was still recent enough to be well documented an so he was able to take all the files he needed. He kept it open for several hours and before he closed it found that there was a strange energy left in the room. He didn't think it would be a problem now but he could understand the problem with much larger uses. As he put the box into his safe a thought jumped into his head. He locked it and rushed over to begin making the links between these companies.


	11. Chapter 11

After spending many hours working he woke up from an eleven hour sleep and decided to call in some help to speed up the process. He got up and when he was ready headed into his main room. After pressing at holo buttons the holo of Watcher 5 appears and he immediately talks.

"Watcher 7, how is your investigation going?"

"Very well. I do need your help though."

"I doubt it, but if I can help speed things up then I'll head over."

An hour later Watcher 5 arrived at Watcher 7's Apartment and they began working.

"So what is it you need me to do?"

"Well, I have got information from a dozen different sources which implicate three companies. Sys-Tech, Bio-Helical and Cyclo. All those companies were set up a long time ago and were owned by a Caldon Okara. He also set up the Okara Droid factory on Balmorra but that doesn't seem to be implicated quite as obviously, if at all. It was set up before the others were acquired by him so I'm assuming it was just a business, not a front. What I'm looking for at the moment though is proof that the companies are still tied in with him. They have not changed hands as far as I can tell so I need to find out who runs them now. Then I will be able to look into what they have been doing and hopefully find a trail."

"Well, I can see you have put a lot of work into this. I'll start by digging into Caldon's financial records, but I doubt there will be much to find given the length of time that has passed."

"I have something that can help. A device that I got from the Tech Bureau."

Watcher 7 explained to him about the Wormhole device and about how it must be kept secret. Once he had done the two of them began working to find something suspicious that could lead them to the conspiracy. Several hours passed and they eventually found something.

"Look at this."

Watcher 7 goes over and starts looking at the information Watcher 5 had found. Lines of names and figures appear and he tries to look for something useful.

"What is it you see here?"

"It takes a while to see, but there is a pattern. Every few weeks this name, Cada Obliss, appears along with a transfer of just under two million credits. This starts just eight months after the end of the Great Hyperspace War and continues for another six years. His first transfer though was for sixty million credits. Two weeks after the first payment Caldon transfers twenty million credits to Jas'een Amurai, who is the owner of Bio-Helical at the time and another payment is made for nine million credits to Zeven Ithora."

"I know that name. He is one of the co-owners of the Okaro factory and Cyclo, isn't he?"

"Yes, so I did some digging through his records and traced the payment. He then went about to set up the Cyclo company with Caldon's funding over a two year period. Three months after that first payment Caldon begins transferring credits to Siv'va Ahiro and she sets up Sys-Tech. During those three months he is also paying to Jas'een until he finally buys over Bio-Helical. More payments are then made by them to increase its size and everything seems fine. The other payments continue and six years after that first payment by Cada it ends and the companies are large and profitable."

"So far there hasn't been anything we can really use. I assume there's more."

"Of course. I also looked into Cada's records and found those payments. I then looked for any other big transfers but came up with nothing. Looking at his total wealth however showed that he won the Shanax System lottery many years prior, before the Great Hyperspace War, and so had got an account with over three hundred million credits."

"So everything looks legitimate, and it probably is. But the thing we can see from this is that he is one of the founders. If we trace his movements leading up to the first payment then we might be able to identify the others and follow the trail across the years to now."

"That was my thinking as well. I was just about to start trying to find the others, I highly doubt it could be founded by just one person."

"So we have a solid lead it seems. We need to find out about everyone he spoke to in the weeks and months leading up to the first payment. We can dub the payment "Credit Zero"."

"Sounds good. I wonder if we could use the wormhole to watch him."

"Possible but when I had it open earlier after several hours there was a strong energy, and that was from a pin sized hole. Still, if we could narrow down a small timeframe we could see if it would work."

"Well for now I suppose we have other means to find the other founders."

The two of them continued working to find the names of everyone Cada had interacted with in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War.


	12. Chapter 12

"Right, I think I have something!" yelled Watcher 7.

"So, what's the news?"

"Well, I've been tracing all of Cada's accounts and I've come across a name that appears every day in his messages. The messages themselves are in no language that we have on record so I'm assuming that it's a language they made up. There are patterns but no way to decipher it. I then looked at Danai's message account, the other man, and found five other names that appear every day, all in the same language. I'd say that they are all part of it and he appears to play an important part."

"Something of a messenger maybe. He gets all the messages and passes them on to those that need them. But it's too obvious that it is no better than sending them to each other."

"Yeah I was thinking that. But it gives us names to look at, at least."

"Then I guess we now have some people to follow around. I've also been busy by looking into the companies they have and checking the employee files. There are Lead Scientists for each division in each company and one Director that oversees every divisions' work. I checked the Directors' backgrounds and I believe they are all part of it. Their names also appear on the list you got from his messages."

"Good. That further ties in those companies. Now all we have to do is crack these messages or find out everyone that met together. You up for cracking those messages then?"

"Sure. Although if they made up the language then I doubt I'll get very far."

"It's worth a try. Now lets get back to work."

Watcher 7 looked through the time frames they had and placed the most likely time of meeting within the two months leading up to Credit Zero. He contacted the Tech Bureau and arranged a meeting between him and the Physicists working on the Wormhole machine.

"Any progress yet?"

"Some but nothing has been decipherable yet. I'm currently working on finding the patterns and similarities between it and another language from that time. It will take a while but I doubt they would be able to create a completely new language without us having found a basic message about it before it was in use. I've started with looking at all the languages originating from all the founders' home worlds so I'll see what I get from that."

"Well it's time I left for that meeting. That wormhole may yet be a key for finding out what we need as long as we use it right. I'll be back in a few hours I imagine."

He got into his speeder and took it over to the Tech Bureau. He passed by the security points and entered the lab. The Technicians and Physicists were all crowded around a holo-table at the far end and were nearly oblivious to his presence as he approached.

"Well then, I think we may have found the problems with it."

"But that looks to simple."

"I'll remind you that it is a smaller and simpler version."

"I still think we are missing something. That connection there looks too weak. If we replaced it with a Beam Bridger then I think it would flow better. It might also reduce the power consumption as well."

"I think he's right."

"Of course I am."

"Put it to one side for now. Watcher 7, I have a question for you. How accurate is the date system for opening the wormhole?"

"Not too bad but it is about thirty years further back than what it is set for. It does vary by a few weeks though so it would be impossible to guarantee the exact time that it will open at, in it's current state."

"Right, then we also have that problem to fix."

"Then if we are all agreed then we need to split into groups and work to solve all these problems. It's time we finished this project and put it to rest."

"Agreed. So if you three work on the Beam Bridger and make sure the other components are all working perfectly then that's one problem out of the way. I suggest that the two of you work on the timescale for it, otherwise it's next to useless for accurate dates. That leaves the rest of us to work on solving the Radiation Emission issue. We have our groups so lets just get on with it."

Watcher 7 walked over to the lead scientist and queried what was happening.

"Doctor Senasta, is there anything I can do here?"

"How well do you understand the mechanics behind Wormholes and the Radiation they emit?"

"Not all that well."

"Then I suppose you can help with the time scale issue. I'm sure binary coding doesn't take you out of your depth."

"No it doesn't."

"Good. The you can help those two over there. With us all working together I'm confident we can have the device perfected by the end of the day."

Watcher 7 called Watcher 5 and told him he wouldn't be back for quite a while and ended the call. When he re-entered the lab he joined the other two and they got him up to speed.

"You can't argue with those calculations."

"I disagree. There is still the unknown variable that could put us over a year out."

"I don't think it's an issue. As long as the others hold stable then we can adjust."

"No. The whole point is that the unknown leaves us with a fluctuation. None of it will hold stable."

Watcher 7 listened to the Technician and Physicist argue and grew tired. He had spent the last four hours listening to the two of them disagreeing on everything, which seemed to help them think but drove him out of his mind. After another few minutes he had had enough and decided to shut them both up.

"Will the two of you shut up for a change. If you look at the figures it is obvious that the whole thing is unstable but the unknown variable is easily calculable if you rearrange it."

He began typing up the new calculations and the two of them looked on in silence as they thought through the same processes.

"There we go. Now that we have the unknown we can use it in the original equations like this and find the solutions."

"How did we miss that?"

"He has an enhanced brain and super implants, he has an advantage."

"Good point."

"I'm just skilled at many things, it's not just the implants and enhancements."

After a further two hours they had completed the programing systems and calculation processes to make the Wormhole device open Wormholes at the exact times set. They uploaded their work to the main console and split up to help the other groups. One hour later they were all done and Dr Senasta ran a simulation of the generator. When he was satisfied that everything was working correctly the Technicians went to work creating a new device. The Physicists and Watched 7 stood by while the device was being built and once it was done they decided to open a wormhole for exactly ten minutes into the future. They timed it precisely and after several repetitions the device was deemed to work perfectly. Watcher 7 picked up the device and left with the Physicists to go home.


	13. Chapter 13

"So is the device working then?"

"Yes. It still isn't for sustained use but it will be fine for this investigation."

"Well I don't have great news about the deciphering. I've found all the common phrases and similarities between the messages but I can't figure out what it says. It doesn't appear to be based off of an existing language, so we wont get to find out what they say."

"Then we will do without. We have names so lets trace their activities. I want to know as much as we can learn about them."

The two of them continued working for another hour but eventually decided to get some sleep. When Watcher 7 woke he entered the main room and opened up the message left for him by Cipher 8.

"Koth just contacted me with a location. I've attached it to this message. I still have no details so I'll talk to you when the mission is done."

Watcher 7 opened up the Imperial War map of Quesh and focused the Co-Ordinates. He checked the scans of the area and found nothing but a few plants, which told him that there must be a disguise field around it. He tried to get Satellite images of the area but before he could he saw an alert flash up. Be read the warning and instantly went to check the details. After one minute he had cracked the transmission code and saw that someone had ordered a bomber run of the area. He checked the bomber squadrons details and attempted to contact their lead pilot.

"Sergeant Elusk, terminate bombing run. I repeat, terminate the bombing run. This is Watcher 7 with Imperial Intelligence, do not launch a single shot or explosive at your designated area."

"Sir! Our orders were to wipe it out."

"You have new orders now. This is an Intelligence matter so leave it to us."

"Understood. Alright men, listen up! New order is to terminate the run. Return to base immediately."

Watcher 5 woke up just in time to hear Watcher 7 call off a bombing run. He got up and went over to talk to him.

As he approached he closed down the windows and turned to him.

"I think I will be hearing from Cipher 8 soon."

"Bombing run?"

"Not important now. What is important is us finding more information, so lets get on with it. Cipher 8 will be returning tomorrow and I want to be able to report our finding in full to him and Keeper."

Twenty minutes later the message alert rang out and Watcher 7 answered the call.

"How did the mission go?"

"It was a success. Ardun Koth and his team bar Hunter have been eliminated. The Shadow Arsenal and schematics for the droids have been secured and I have set course for Dromund Kass. I nearly died though because of Hunter and I know he wasn't really working for the SIS."

"I know. So what happened to the Arsenal you mentioned?"

"I called General Corinthis and he sent a shuttle to pick up the missiles. I believe they have cloaking systems in them which he planned to use to hold the Empire back. They wont get the use of them now though."

"Well I'll let you return here. Just so you know I was the one that canceled the bombing run, so you're welcome. Now get back here, I have plenty that you need to know."

"Sir, I need to request a meeting with you for tomorrow, mid day. Cipher 8 will also be here along with Watcher 5. I need it to take place in my Apartment."

"Very well, I'll keep a few hours free."

He ended the call and went back to his chair and continued to link everything together. The two of them had been working very hard but they were far from done. While Watcher 7 put together everything they had discovered Watcher 5 continued to follow the ownership of the companies. After a few more hours they were just about to take a short break when Watcher 5 made a breakthrough.

"Watcher 7, I have something!"

"Lets here it then."

"I've been following the records for those companies and given their private status it has been difficult to find names of owners. I have succeeded though and after spending an hour looking through the company records I discovered that one man, Saldon Faresh, has been given control of the companies. I looked into his message service and found two regular senders. After checking all their financial records it is clear that they have been receiving payments from the company fronts which then disappear to an unknown recipient. The payments are made to them under the guise of Medical equipment and rare minerals. Looking at their delivery records shows that those purchases do not exist. They have never received these items from those people."

"Well, you have been busy. Then it appears all we need to do is find their resources. Do we have any leads?"

"There is something more that is of interest. Belsavis, that new Republic prison planet we recently found, has a sector made up of privately owned vaults. One such vault is owned by Sys-Tech, and has been under their care for over seven hundred years. The vault is called Megasecurity Ward 26."

"Then I think we have another lead to follow up on. We can send Cipher 8 to deal with that."

"How has your work been getting on?"

"Not too bad. Everything we have has been linked together, so it is nearly ready for presentation. I did a scan on the Holonet for any signs of Hunter. I found someone claiming to be an Imperial Moff visiting a small colony called Isen IV. I requested that agent Veld be sent out there to investigate the situation, so I should hear back soon. Now I think we have earned a break. I'm going to get something to eat and take a walk around Kass City. You can... do whatever you want I suppose, have fun. We can begin working again in two hours."


	14. Chapter 14

Watcher 7 opened the door to the landing pad and welcomed Keeper inside. There was enough room for two speeders and so he had arrived that way. He stood next to Cipher 8 and Watcher 5 and waited for the presentation to begin. Watcher 7 shaded the window and showed a display of names and events all linked together in one large mind map.

"Well, here we are. This..." he took a seconds pause while he stretched out his arm to draw attention to the map "is the conspiracy Watcher 5 and I have been investigating. We have put in a lot of work, more than just us actually, but we now finally have a good understanding of the organisation. It started back in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War, eight months after its conclusion. This man, Cada Obliss, had won the Shanax System lottery before the war had begun and so had over three hundred million credits in his account. He was one of the ones that started the Conspiracy. He sent an initial payment of eighty million credits to Caldon Okara, who had already created the Okara Droid Factory with two associates. He sends over a payment of twenty million credits to Jas'een Amurai and continues to send continuous large payments to him over the following three months to buy over this company, Bio-Helical. At the same time he pays Zeven Ithora nine million credits to start with and keeps continuing so that he can set up Cyclo, another front for them. After a while he then gets his other associate from the Okaro Factory, a woman called Siv'va Ahiro, to set up Sys-Tech with his funding. Six years after "Credit Zero", the first payment, they complete their creation and expansion of the companies and they are now very good fronts for the Conspiracy to use. After looking at Cada's messages over this period of time there is a message sent to him in an undecipherable language every week, originating from a person called Danai. When I looked at his messages there is another five people all using the same language. These people pass on messages and he then passes them on to the others. He appears to be the message distributer. We then decided to follow the family records of these people as far as we could and kept with the trail of messages that the offspring sent, still in this language. Following the trail we have managed to keep with it until a hundred years ago. At that point it vanishes. But we can see that these fronts are still important as there is no record of them being sold on, and messages to them were constant before the trail disappeared. I then looked at the details of different missions in our past that had unexplained circumstances. There are several that have recovered pieces of technology, all of which are unusual. That piece of technology that stole our information a while back was very similar to the rest of it. I believe they have been interfering with us for a long time. Over the past four hundred years there have been talks about re-emerging into the galaxy, which we have finally done, but over the years there were expeditions sent out to explore the state of the galaxy. Every single ship we sent out was destroyed. If the Republic had been responsible then they would have destroyed us outright. My guess is that the conspiracy tried to keep us apart but have now finally failed, and Isen IV appears to be their way of finishing both sides off."

"What's this about Isen IV?" queried Keeper.

"Yesterday a man matching Hunter's description was present on the asteroid colony of Isen IV. The colony is built onto asteroids above Isen. The planet is covered in lava so there is no surface to speak of. The man that arrived claimed to be an Imperial Moff but I checked the records and there have been no official meeting set for anyone to go there. I didn't have much time so I sent out Agent Veld to investigate. When he arrived he was faced with chaos. The medical droids had been turned against everyone there and most of the people were dead. He recovered a device from colony control and it matches records of those strange devices."

"What else happened?"

"Some of the colony were still alive and claimed that the Imperial Moff had left them there to die. The whole problem with the situation was that they had officially surrendered to us when our warships entered their sector. Fortunately the device was stopping their communications but it shut down when Veld tried to remove it. To cover up the situation I had him shut off the power to the life support and gravitation repellent systems. The colony fell into the lava but I don't think that that will keep it a secret for much longer."

"Well it sounds like you handled that situation well, but in future I want to be informed about these kinds of developments."

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Is there any more to all of this?"

"Yes. Sys-Tech has given us one lead. There is an area on the newly discovered Republic prison planet Belsavis. The area is full of privately owned vaults. As I'm sure you can guess Sys-Tech rented it from the Republic over six hundred years ago. The vault is called Megasecurity Ward 26, and it is where I need you to head next, Cipher 8."

"Alright. Is there anything important I should he aware of?"

"When we discovered it a little while ago we began causing prison breakouts and riots to shake the Republic but it has not been the most effectively carried out plan. You will be facing dangerous criminals there. I have a contact, Alshulo, whom will be collecting a list of names of prisoners that can help you break in there. He will leave a data pad in the cantina in locker sixty one. Get it and see what he has to offer. I also have another lead but it wont require your talents. When you get done in a few days contact me and we will see where to go from there. I'm done, so unless anyone se has something to add we are done here."


	15. Chapter 15

Watcher 7 stood at the door to his Apartment as Cipher 8 and Watcher 5 left. He closed and locked it before returning to Keeper in the main room.

"Well, I'm impressed with the amount of work you have put into this. But do you have any more leads I should know of?"

"I do have one. It's a server on a Holonet station but I'm dealing with it."

"What's your plan?"

"Not important right now. I will have it dealt with before Cipher 8 is done on Belsavis. Very soon we will have leads. Now if I'm right, and I usually am, about Isen IV then you had better get to saving the Empire. I can't see the Republic standing by and letting this happen."

"Well if we are done then I will be leaving."

"Goodbye sir."

Watcher 7 continued his work and tried pulling up more leads. After a few hours he realised he wouldn't be able to find anything an so shut down his Apartment and took his speeder to his Private Hanger in the Spaceport for the wealthy citizens. He didn't need these luxuries but given that he was able to get the money to afford them he saw no reason not to indulge himself in these little pleasures. He boarded his ship and set the Co-Ordinates for the Tytun Rings, a privately owned Holonet Storage facility. He had been searching for all the different assets owned by the fronts of the conspiracy and had managed to find out about the vault on Belsavis and the server on this station. It had initially been built to store all the information passing through the Holonet but was filled after five years. Thus they shifted the storage terminals to a new station named Oscenta Station and turned the Tytun Rings into a high security private Holonet station. Cyclo had been the front to purchase a server and had paid to increase the security. There were automated defences and over three hundred security guards. As his ship flew towards Kreshak in Hyperspace he prepared viruses which he planned to infect the security systems with, leaving just the guards as sole defence. He was not a Cipher agent so the fight would be difficult, but he knew that the key to victory was in the tactics he used, and he was still an accurate shot. His enhanced abilities allowed him precision firing along with the top grade weapons he was equipped with. He also practiced every week with the guns to ensure that should he ever need to utilise them in combat then be would be able to put up a fight. After an hour he completed the viruses and decided to get some food before falling asleep for a few hours. He ate up the small quantity of High nutrient soup and fell asleep until the ship dropped out of Hyperspace at a safe distance from the station. When he woke he strapped on his armour and headed to the bridge. After a minute at the controls he began his approach to the station with his cloaking field on. He made it in close and with the precise calculations performed by the VI flight software he had Co-Developed the ship landed on the nearest docking platform to the conspiracy server named ZAD6-F271. He exited the nearly invisible ship and closed the hatch. There was no atmosphere on the platform at the moment do he had his helmet on and the magboots engaged. As he made large footsteps across the platform to the entry hatch he spotted a guard at a lookout post just a few levels above him. The ship was well disguised but were the guard to look down he would be spotted immediately. He saw the guard look around and decided he had one option. He readied his boots and disengaged the magnetic function while jumping towards the exterior to the station. He drifted across the large platform and tried to turn to get his boots to his the wall. He neared it and knew he was jot going to be able to reach it. He hit the exterior with his arm and began in the opposite direction. After only one meter though he fired his grapple at the hatch and it stuck on with its special surface tension technology. He wound himself closer and tapped away at the panel until the hatch opened. When he got inside he closed it and headed straight for the nearest terminal. He implanted the viruses he had coded on his way there and prepared to activate them when he needed them. He had a few set up and felt confidant that he would pull this off with some ease.

He brought up the schematics of the station and began slicing into the controls. He set all the entry points to this level to deny access to anyone and began heading through the corridor to the server he needed. The station was not enormous so it didn't take very long. After a few minutes he came across a group of guards in front of the door to the next half of the corridor and drew his gun. The guards were chatting in their group and were not used to facing attacks on the station. This gave him the element of surprise which he knew could mean the difference between a victory or failure in many circumstances. He checked the progress of the virus and noted that it had infected nearly eighty percent of the security systems already. He poked his head round the corner again and decided to just step round and fire. As he turned round it he lifted his Assault Rifle and sprayed the guards with high powered blaster bolts. The guards fell and the ringing echoed throughout the corridor. He walked over and sliced the door open. After another few minutes he came across a junction room. There were six corridors and so plenty of guards would be able to run in. Knowing this he knew it was time to implement virus one. He went to his datapad and activated the virus. The Identify Friend/Foe system was reversed and the automated turrets turned against the guards. The turrets began firing at the unsuspecting fools and many were mowed down within seconds. He turned into the room and held the trigger. The guards were dropping rapidly and nobody could even see him stood there. Within thirty seconds the guards in front of him were all dead and the turrets reverted back to their original settings. With chaos raging through the station he hurried to the server room. Once he was just one minute away he came across a group of survivors. He activated the second virus and the automated droids came out of the alcoves in the walls. He couldn't reverse the IFF on the droids but the distraction would be enough for him to slip past. His suit allowed him to emit a Kinetic Shield. When altered it emitted an electric field which partially blinded the droids to his presence. The droids opened fire at the survivors and he ran past them while they tried to fire back. He reached the server room, ZAD6-F271, and connected his datapad to the terminal. He began downloading all the data and decided to try looking at some of the files while he waited. He opened up a few files and read through them and knew they were close to destroying them. He played the recording of a meeting between the main members of the conspiracy across different worlds. The data needed to be reconstructed but the audio was understandable. As he played it he realised only small portions of it were saved.

"Then we are all agreed that it is our only course of action we can take."

"Yes, I think... We need to wait. Another six months and that should be long enough. There is no point rushing it."

"I agree... If our enforcer is up to it then the plan is settled."

"Of course. I have come this far, no point stopping here." Watcher 7 listened and recognised Hunter's voice immediately, the moment he heard him talk. He checked the download status and shut of the recording. After another few minutes the files were all downloaded and he decided to leave. As he exited server room ZAD6-F271 he was confronted by two patrol droids. Before they had the chance to properly scan him he activated the third virus and all the droids shut down. He had now caused significant damage to the security and before he made a move realised that a chance to blackmail some very wealthy people was at hand. There wouldn't be another mercenary ship arriving for another two days yet so he knew there were no problems with the plan. He downloaded data from the other nodes and returned to his ship. The acquisition of the data was very useful but the second main advantage of his attack was that they would now have to use the HoloNet rather than their server as they wouldn't trust it. This would make tracking their future movements much easier. He returned to his ship and was amazed at how easy the acquisition of the information had been. He set the Co-Ordinates for Dromund Kass and while the ship travelled through Hyperspace he began scanning and reconstructing the data and information.

Four hours later he dropped out of Hyperspace and began orbiting the Empire's Capital. He turned off the artificial gravity generators and decided to spend a little time floating around his ship. He continues his attempts to piece together the fragments of recording and eventually succeeded. After he had done he went back to sleep and spent six hours in one of the best sleeps possible. When he woke he landed the ship in his hanger and returned home.


	16. Chapter 16

He got in the door to his Apartment from the platform and shut it to keep out the rain. He connected his data chip and uploaded all the files he had collected to his personal storage server in the Apartment. As he was about to look at the information the holo-terminal beeped. He accepted the call and Cipher 8 appeared.

"I have made contact with the people on the list and they have all agreed to help. They know about most of the security and we are currently trying to obtain all the equipment we will need. The only issue is that I don't think we will be able to get it all."

"I assume you have a list."

"Yes. I'll send it to you now."

"Ok. Well you can probably get all of that... possibly that from the labs there... that one could be an issue though. What have you got at the moment?"

"Nothing. We have split into groups to obtain what we can from a few different places. I am on my own though, mainly so I could contact you secretly."

"Right, well I can organise a supply drop of anything you can't get there but the more it looks like you are just another inmate the better. We don't want the conspiracy or the others to find out. They might not help you otherwise."

"Don't worry, we can get this done. You just keep getting us leads."

"I made a breakthrough with that actually. And I went on a mission where I was up against a few hundred guards. I came out without a scratch."

"I'll ask about it later, that sounds interesting."

"Well then, on your way!"

"Yes sir!"

He ended the call and returned to the files. He sent a copy of the video messages to Keeper and called him.

"Watcher 7, what is it you need done with the files?"

"I thought it would be easier if you got some of the new enhanced Watchers to reconstruct the data fragments. I have other things to look at, all of which is critical."

"I'll get them on it, but in case you haven't heard, we are at war with the Republic now. General Rakton on our side has tried to declare it and Darth Baras has also been enacting his master's "Plan Zero". He has taken over his seat and the rest of the Dark Council want war. The Supreme Chancellor was the first one to declare war though, nearly all because of Isen IV. The conspiracy has managed to get their way and they need to be stopped."

"Then we need to get their leaders and all their assets. The files I sent you are all parts of a holo meeting they had a while ago. If those Watchers can get them together then we may unlock a crucial piece to this puzzle."

"Then I will get them on it now. We don't have much time spare to do anything now."

The following morning he got up and tried to contact Cipher 8. After ten minutes he finally got an answer.

"I was meeting with the others to take stock of what we have. What was it you wanted?"

"How is the situation on Belsavis?"

"Chaotic. I heard we are at war, is it true?"

"Yes. It is."

"That would explain the continuous rise in activity here. We have nearly everything we need but there are a few missing items. We were going to try the labs in the next sector but the Republic reclaimed them and turned them into a forward stronghold. Do you think you could work your magic for us?"

"Send me the list and I will have those items to you as soon as I possibly can."

"Great. Then it is time we all found shelter for a few hours. There is just one more problem to contend with. The Scorpio Sanctions. It seems to be a defence system that is connected to all of Belsavis. It will be difficult to get in with it watching."

"Do you have a slicer on your team?"

"Yes but she isn't sure how to sufficiently distract it from what we are doing."

"I have an idea. There are control nodes across the planet for the Warden and Patrol Droids. If they were to be infected with a special virus, then the Scorpio Sanctions would be unable to monitor you properly. That should get you in. I can make the viruses and get them in, but you will need to come up with a convincing lie as to how the Scorpio Sanctions will not be a problem to deal with."

"I will think of one, you just get your part done.. I need to get back to the others, so I will talk to you later."

"Ok. I'll get this done."

When he ended the call he began looking at the information he had on Belsavis' security systems. It didn't take long before he knew what he needed and so decided to put everything into motion for it to be ready very soon. He picked a time and called Doctor Teebra a week prior with the help of a Wormhole.

"Watcher 7, what can we do for you?"

"Doctor Teebra, I need to enlist your help for my operation. There are security systems that I need to have distracted from my agents while they break into a vault. There are thirty control nodes across the planet that control the droids and cameras. I need viruses for each of them to distract the VI that has connected itself up to the security but I'm busy on other leads. Think you can help?"

"I'll get my team on it immediately. How long do we have?"

"I need them in one week. I will contact you when I need you to send them over to me."

"I will get my team on it immediately."

Before he closed the Wormhole and locked away the device again, he sent a requisition order to Imperial Supply Command for the items needed on Belsavis. Once he had locked it away he went to call Doctor Teebra but not from a different time zone.

"Watcher 7. I have all the viruses ready for you if you require them."

"Thank you. Send them over to me."

"OK...Done."

"Just one more thing. If you were to want to very quickly distribute these viruses across a planet using basic technology and only a few people, how would you go about it?"

"There are a few ways but none of them are easy with basic technology. I suppose you could try using a Wave Distribution technique. That would allow you to send signals across the planet but advanced systems would be nearly immune to that attack. The only way would be to send a chip to the nodes and upload the virus like that, otherwise it will be detected."

"I thought as much, but there must be an easier way."

"No, not really. Well, not easier but if you were able to Quantum Leap the signal into the circuits then it would bypass the virus scan altogether. In theory it is possible to do it with computer codes but I don't think anyone has successfully managed it yet. Sorry I can't be much help there but I don't know of any other way to do it."

"Well never mind then. I will just find a simpler way."

"Doctor Senasta, do you know how to Quantum Leap signals?"

"Well that is a big ask. But although it has never been successfully performed yet that Wormhole technology would be able to do it I believe."

"Can you tell me how?"

"Instead of opening the Wormhole you would need to..."

As he talked Watcher 7 how to do it, hours passed by. After a dozen hours of trying to perform a feat never before accomplished they finally succeeded. He infected every node with a special virus for each and let them spread into every system. As it was happening Cipher 8 awoke to find a large predator picking away at the member of his team that was supposed to guard them. He slowly reached over and with a quick motion he shot at the beast until it was nothing more than a dead pulped carcass.


	17. Chapter 17

"Cipher 8, how is the team?"

"We lost a man to the beasts outside. Luckily he was an idiot. I hope you have good news."

"Hope no longer. There will be a supply drop of everything you said you needed at these Co-Ordinates. Also the viruses are in place and with every second they become more effective. Your slicer will be able to activate them so just tell her that there are rudimentary backup folders that when released into the system will slow down all its processes. She will buy it if you sell it well and then you can head in to the vault. This mission needs to be brought to a close. Before you say anything though, the drop point is at a recently abandoned Imperial supply cache. If the others go with you then you will be fine. Now I have work to do so get to it."

Five hours later Cipher 8 contacts him and he answers the call.

"Well it seems like most of what you have found out is correct. I spoke to the key members from six hundred years ago. They were placed into a stasis tube and have been visited a few times a decade until about one hundred years ago. The visits became one every few decades and they were not asked for much. I also have the name of them, the Star Cabal."

Watcher 7 listened intently as Cipher 8 talked him through what he had learned on Belsavis. Eventually he decided to reply.

"We have their name, we have their business fronts, we have the data and information from their private server on the Tytun Rings, we also know of their secret language and their vault on Belsavis. Given their part in the restart of the war I think I will be able to find them. Return to Dromund Kass as soon as you can and deal with your team before you leave if you haven't already. I need to get to work again."

He closed the call and began looking at the information from the war. He knew the Star Cabal were cunning and patient and thus knew that the task ahead would be difficult. However he also knew how efficient the Cabal was, and thus he started looking for the major zones for the war. His theory stood at that they wanted both sides beaten and so what better way than to play them both off against each other and then swoop in and finish them both off when everyone is too weak to fight back. And so he turned his attention to the core worlds. The biggest fights were situated there, across Ord Mantell, Corellia and Balmorra. Balmorra seemed to be a lost cause for them though as the droids being created were too tough for the Empire to properly defeat. Given that it was the Empire only that was being slaughtered there it was unlikely to be a target for the Cabal. Looking at Ord Mantell however was different. There were no major resources to fight over and the Republic was having difficulty with the Separatists that the Empire had been helping. He could see no reason why the Empire was fighting on that planet when the resources could be spent elsewhere. Seeing a possible anomaly he decided to contact Keeper and find out what was happening there.

"Sir, I need to know the purpose of our fight for Ord Mantell."

"Not that you are cleared to know the details of that but anyway. There is a Separatist hideout there that contains nearly four dozen Thermonuclear Warhead devices. Alongside that there is a prison block that has eighteen Republic War Generals we would like to get to us for interrogation. I can't disclose the rest but we have good reasons. And also it has drawn plenty of Republic reinforcements there which has taken some of the pressure off of Corellia. We do appear to be winning the fight there."

"Thank you for the information. I will look into it next. Bow is the reconstruction coming along?"

"It is progressing and will be complete in a few hours. Will you be returning to headquarters to watch it or do I send it to you?"

"I will come in. It is time I returned for a little while. But I think the Star Cabal is aware of my investigation by now."

"You seem to be too close for them to stop you now. And I see you have a name now."

"Cipher 8 is on his way back. He spoke to their key members in stasis tanks from six hundred years back. You can read his report when he sends it. Now I need to keep looking at all this information. When Cipher 8 arrives I will head over there. Watcher 7 out."

Armed with this new information he crosses Ord Mantell off the list. The biggest fight was taking place on Corellia and now he needed to find out what they were doing to keep it going at the magnitude that it was at. He studied the reports and looked at the stats for losses and victories. He knew something there was not correct and knew that his next course of action was to find out what. He brought up everything and realised that compared to the fights everywhere else the Empire should be winning if the reports were to be believed. He continued searching and came across an order sent by Darth Marr to Moff Zamar to bring a report of the Imperial and Republic forces on Corellia. He also spotted more activity there and continued his investigation. After a while it started to become evident that there was a lot of influence on the war there. He decided to take a break and prepared his files. A little while later he went to sleep and didn't wake for over sixteen hours. When he finally did it was to answer a call from Cipher 8 that told him he had been attacked on Belsavis by some angered relatives of people he had dealt with in the past. After a short discussion Watcher 7 told Cipher 8 to get some more rest on his ship before reporting to Intelligence Headquarters in eight hours. He got another six hours of deep sleep before waking up fully refreshed and ready to conquer the Star Cabal. He had a hot shower which was only a few degrees from burning his skin. After nearly forty five minutes under the water he got dried and dressed into his Intelligence outfit. He had never had the time to learn how to make a large variety of meals but he was very good at creating a few. He had learned how to make to very good dishes for each type of meal and so decided to prepare his best breakfast. A little while later, after he had eaten and had a quick drink he put on his Intelligence coat and got into his speeder. The rain was particularly heavy and the darkness was oppressive.

He landed not far from Headquarters where a few dozen people were milling about looking onto the few shops that existed there. Many of them looked over as a Chiss in an Intelligence uniform stepped out of the expensive speeder which was an unusual sight for anybody to witness. He walked over and down the walkway to the Intelligence Headquarters entrance. Cipher 8 was up ahead and just stood waiting for him. The rain continued to bounce off the ground and pound into buildings. There was only enough light to be able to see the small area around himself. As he approached the entrance he heard a noise off to the side of him and stopped. He walked over to the left side of the bridge and leaned on the short wall. He strained his eyes to find out what had made the noise but saw nothing. As he turned away from the edge he called out to Cipher 8, very loud to be heard over the noise of the rain and the thunder. There was a bright flash of lightning that lit up the area and blinded them for a second.

"Cipher 8! I have something of interest for you!"

He held up his right arm with a data card and waved it at him. As he placed it back into his pocket he was blinded by another flash. After another few seconds he started walking again and only a few steps from the dry entrance of headquarters a bright red flash pierced the dark veil and lit up the small area at the end of the bridge. This flash was not lighting and it was not accompanied by a rumble, but a blaster ring. He fell to the ground and another shot obliterated his right leg. A pool of red water quickly grew around him and a third shot rang out from the darkness as he was hit again. As the fourth and final shot slammed into his head Cipher 8 desperately looked to find where the assassin was. He couldn't find anything and sent out a call for a medic in Headquarters.

"Keeper, sir. The medics removed this data card from his pocket. It might be worth a look."

"Thank you Watcher 2. Now go and get back to work, the war hasn't ended yet, it's only just begun."

"Sir. Before he was killed Watcher 7 shouted to me. I think we should prioritise the data card, he said it was important."

"You, Minder 12! Get this data card unlocked and give it back to me. Ask for help from anyone you need to I want it open in the next ten minutes. Watchers 1, 5, 9, 14 and 18 report to the conference room immediately and get that holo meeting running! I want to know exactly what has been happening."

Two minutes later Keeper and Cipher 8 stood around the Holo projector and watched the holocall between the members while the Watchers maintained the recording. There was an old female Twi'lek, Hunter, Yem Leksende whom was a key member of the Czerka Corporation, and three other people that they couldn't recognise. They couldn't get any identifications beyond what they had though as the images were distorted and the voices changed enough to make identification impossible.

"It will be difficult Hunter, but if you are willing to remain there for another six months then that would be best."

"I am willing."

"And how are those padawans doing, they keeping you up at night?"

The Twi'lek replied.

"No, but major progress has been achieved. I believe we will have the trust of the Jedi Council within the next year."

"Good. Then out plans are moving forward and soon, we will enter a finer age."

"Now we need to finish by confirming our plans for Mygeeto. Have we all agreed on capturing Sector 4-52?"

"I believe we have. Any objections?"

"None. Then with that we are concluded. This meeting of the Star Cabal is adjourned."

"Some things were said but there wasn't much context. What's our plan for moving for moving forward sir?"

"We need to find out what there is in Sector 4-52 on Mygeeto. Watchers 9 and 18 find out what they want on Mygeeto. Watcher 1, I want you to look at all our files and find out who that Twi'lek is. Watcher 14, find Yem Leksende and arrange to have at least three agents to follow him and keep watch on his activities. Watcher 5 and Cipher 8, I need you two with me."

The three of them entered his office and Minder 12 arrived at the door.

"Sir, the data card has been unlocked and all the data is ready for you to view."

"Well done. Dismissed Minder 12."

"Well then. Watcher 5 connect it up to the terminal there. We need to find out what Watcher 7 brought us."

"From what I can tell from looking at it, it appears that he found an anomaly on Corellia. He also left a message."

"Keeper. Cipher 8. I will make this short. If you are watching this then my fears were right that I would be a priority target for them. I have included all the information that will be of use to you in this data card. Cipher 8 needs to go to Corellia and acquire Moff Zamar's report. It will show the Cabal's interference there. I don't have anything more than that so I hope that you have enough to end them. Watcher 7, out."

"Well then, you have your next mission briefing. I will have a plan put together for you when you arrive on Corellia. For now just get there as soon as possible. Dismissed."

"Yes sir!" Cipher 8 left the office.

"Watcher 5 I want you to stay here and look at everything he has included. We need to know everything about them and we need to know it now."


	18. Chapter 18

"Keeper. I have arrived on Corellia. What is my course of action to be?"

"To get to Moff Zamar's report you will need to talk to him. There is a supply of Guidance Beacons in a storage room somewhere in the spaceport. I will send you a list of Co-Ordinates that you need to plant the beacons at. You have two hours until Moff Zamar's shuttle passes by the location we have directed him to on this new flight path. When that happens you will be too late."

"I wont let that happen sir."

"I wouldn't expect so. The report is meant for Darth Marr only but the Moff owes me a favour. Give him the keyword "Concentrica" and he should hand over a copy to you. When you have finished and you have the report, head to this transmission station. It has been recently taken over by the Republic and we want it back. There shouldn't be too much resistance. When you have secured it input these files and call General Aldun. He will send in a team of people to keep control. When you have spoken to him call me and we can discuss the next part of your operation there. Keeper out."

Once he had acquired the beacons he took a speeder bike out of the Imperial controlled ground and headed to the nearest location first. As he arrived there was a small squad of injured Republic soldiers trying to head back to base. When they spotted him they pulled out their guns but Cipher 8 opened fire with the speeder's weapons and the soldiers were killed in seconds. He landed it and jumped off with the first beacon. He planted it on the wall and set it to a specific frequency. Once it was ready he got back on his speeder bike and headed to the next location. After planting another three beacons he took note that he still had an hour and twenty minutes until the shuttle passed by. As he neared the sixth location he heard a message from an Imperial scout squad.

"Major Arvun, we have intercepted a message about an impending Republic attack on the main base. They will be coming in through the Southeast tramline. I repeat, the Southeast tramline. There are two dozen elite Republic Commando Squads incoming."

He listened to the Imperial chatter but didn't hear of any plans to stop the attack. He halted the speeder and checked the message. After a minute he was decided that Major Arvun hadn't received the alert and so turned and headed Southeast. He tried contacting the scouts but failed. After two minutes he arrived at the tramline. He could see up ahead that the tram was only twenty seconds from passing his point and so took his beacons and turned the speeder. He drove it back and set it to collide with the tramline support at the speeders maximum speed. He got off and the speeder accelerated. Seconds before the tram passed the speeder struck into the support column and the tram flew off the line when it reached the collapsed part. It struck a building not far away and it began to topple. After nearly thirty seconds he could see fire and only a few seconds later he was nocked off his feet as the small quantity of Hypermatter fuel caught fire and exploded. The building was blown into thousands of chunks and the debris rained down for half a mile. As he got to his feet again he checked for any injuries and when he found none he checked the time. He still had five beacons to place and only seventy minutes to get it all done. He looked at the map and planned the quickest root. He dashed over to the building at the far and of the street and ascended up to the roof. From his point he would be able to avoid all the ground fighting and would hopefully be able to get his mission completed. He took a run up to the ledge and jumped when he reached the end. He glided through the air and rolled as he landed on the next roof. He continued to do it until he came across a collapsed building which he couldn't use the roof of. He grabbed his grapple hook and shot it into the next building. He took a run and as he leapt off he wound in the grapple and held onto the next building. He climbed up to the roof and continued along until he reached the location. He hooked the grapple to the roof and wound himself down to the ground. Cipher 8 let go and planted the beacon in the street. When it was ready he got back to the roof and saw that he only had fifty five minutes left. He began making his way to the next location and decided he needed to call General Arvun.

"Major Arvun, sir. This is Cipher 8 of Imperial Intelligence, Operational Division. I overheard a message for you from a scout squad about a Republic attack from the Southeast tramline."

"Thank you for passing it on. I had better deal with this."

"No need, I already took care of it. The tramline has a collapse in it now and the tram was destroyed along with a nearby building and two dozen elite Republic Commando Squads."

"Then I owe you Cipher 8. We have been having enough trouble just holding the spaceport without these attacks. I know I'm not cleared to know about your mission here, but if you have time there is one other important objective we need taken care of."

"I'm very busy but what is it you need?"

"There are Anti Aircraft guns on the roofs of buildings in Axial Park. If you have the time to detour over to them it would really help us out. We have been unable to get a foothold there without the use of ships."

"I will see to it, but I will need you to do something for me. I lost my speeder to take down that tramline. I need you to send a dropship with another one for me. Before it gets here I will have the guns down."

"Okay. I will send the Co-Ordinates and prepare the ship. The shuttle will be dropped off at the last AA gun."

Ten minutes later he reached the first AA gun. He planted an explosive on it but before he detonated it he took control and began firing at a few of the Republic's Gunships. He took down a dozen and headed to the next one. As he jumped to the next building he detonated the grenade and the AA gun was no more. He repeated the process with the second gun and received a message just before he got to the last gun.

"Cipher 8, this is Major Arvun. The dropship is five minutes away. I have also included a belt of grenades for you as well as thanks for the help."

He took control of the last gun and began firing at the Republic ships.

"Scratch one!" He shouted out as he hit the first target. He took down another dozen and in total had brought down over forty Republic ships. He spotted the Imperial dropship approach and he set the grenade. It blew up and he got down the building to the speeder as the ship returned to base. He looked at the time and rushed on to the next location. He had just thirty minutes to get the last four beacons planted.

When he finally reached the last location he planted the beacon and checked the location of the likely landing site for the shuttle. It was being guided into a dangerous flight path with only a few possible safe landing sites. He also looked at the transmission tower location and plotted the quickest route to get there. With him all set up a Republic Spec Ops Squad appeared from round a corner and he had to pull his Sniper Rifle from his back. Before the enemy could get off a shot he blew a clean hole through the medics head and threw down his shield generator. Just as he crouched behind it he was barraged with suppressive blaster fire and forced to stay low. The rest of the squad moved forward and he chanced a quick shot round the side of the shield. He caught the commander in the leg and he was toppled into cover, which then sent the rest of them following suit. He heard a few shouts and two soldiers started to approach. He pulled a grenade from his belt and it struck the nearest soldier. He was blown backwards into several pieces and the other close soldier was shaken to the side onto his knees. With his pistol drawn Cipher 8 stood up and fired off six shots into the shaken soldier in quick succession. With three of them dead it left the commander and one other to deal with. Just as he was about to try and get closer a full belt of grenades was thrown from the commander's position and they were all armed. Seconds before they detonated however Cipher 8 grabbed his new special EMP grenade and he threw it close to them. A large pulse went out and the grenades shut off, along with his shield and all their guns. He stood ready to face his opponents, and the two Republic soldiers stood to face him. They extended the blade attachments to their shotguns and held them out. Cipher 8 took the knife out of the holster on his boot and got into his fighting stance. Although the soldiers outnumbered him the commander was unable to properly move due to the well placed lucky shot which had struck between the plates of armour, and Cipher 8 was more skilled in Hand to Hand combat than the soldiers. The uninjured man took a few steps towards him and Cipher 8 checked for his weak points. After a second he lunged at him but the man twisted and all he hit was armour plating. Before the soldier was able to back off or attack Cipher 8 slammed his elbow into the side of his helmet as hard as he could. The man fell to his knees and before he was able to get up Cipher 8 thrust his knife into his neck. The commander decided to join the fight and tried to spring forward and plunge his blade into Cipher 8, but the injury to his leg made him fall and knock Cipher 8 off balance before he was able to strike at the neck again. The commander tried to hold onto Cipher 8's leg while the bleeding soldier tried to stick his blade into him. Just before the soldier got to his feet Cipher 8 raised his arm and shot his Grapple Hook into the nearest building. He wound it in and the commander fell off his leg. He sat attached to the wall and as he detached the hook he jumped and landed on the two soldiers. With the surprise attack having weakened both his opponents he jabbed his knife into the commander's neck and move it around until he was bled to death. He turned back to the other one and saw that he had bled out a few seconds after his jump. He grabbed the belt of grenades that the commander had thrown and scavenged any other functioning weapons from the bodies he thought he could use. A minute later Moff Zamar's shuttle flew past overhead and he followed it, but so too did the Republic.

He crouched below a window in the building directly across the street from where the shuttle had landed. He drew his Sniper Rifle which was now functioning again and looked over at the entrance to the building. He saw two soldiers positioned at either side of the wide doorway. Inside he could see another four. He assumed that there would also be a dozen more on the way to the shuttle but focused on the current group. He set the rifle to silenced mode and took aim at the one to the left of the door. He took him down and repeated with the other guard before he noticed and alerted anyone. He looked again and saw that two of the soldiers inside had moved close together. Seizing the opportunity before it passed he fired two shots and struck both of the soldiers. The other two tried to respond but were shot dead before they could alert anyone. He ran across the street and hid the bodies. He was sure that there would be more soldiers sent here and he wanted to take every advantage he could get. He planted half a dozen grenades around the room and set them to detonate upon sensing any motion. He sprinted up the stairs when he was done and shot at the two soldiers in the corridor before they realised he was there. After another two minutes and ten soldiers he reached the exit door to the roof and crouched behind a large chunk of stone that had fallen from the roof of his corridor. He could see the shuttle on the far side and three dozen Republic soldiers attacking the nine guards for the shuttle. He counted his remaining grenades and threw one into a cluster nearest to him. Eight soldiers were killed and he took the chance to fire at the others that were close by and shaken to their knees. Another guard went down and the soldiers tried to advance. He took his Assault Rifle out and sprayed the soldiers with blaster fire. Thirteen were killed and the rest took cover. There was just another dozen left so he used his fourth last grenade and knocked half of the soldier into he open. The guards and himself killed them and he decided to end the fight now. He ran out and shot at all the remaining soldiers. Once they had all been killed he walked over to the shuttle.

"Identify yourself!"

"Cipher 8, Imperial Intelligence. I need to talk to Moff Zamar."

"For what purpose?"

"He has some information I need. I must talk to him before more Republic forces arrive."

One of the guards raised his hand to his helmet while he listened to a call. After a few seconds he returned to his normal stance.

"You can enter. But we will be leaving soon so make it quick."

"Cipher 8, what brings you here?"

"You have been making a report on all our forces here and estimating the Republic's strength. I need a copy."

"The report is for Darth Marr only. I have strict orders."

"Does the word Concentrica mean anything to you?"

"That depends on who asks."

"Keeper. He passed it on to me."

"Well I suppose I could give you a copy. Just as long as neither you nor Keeper mention it to anyone."

"Of course. There is no need for anyone else to know about this. In fact it is vital that nobody finds out, or my mission will be harder."

The Moff turned to his terminal and uploaded a copy of the information to a datapad. He handed it to Cipher 8.

"I take it those guide beacons were down to you."

"It was the only way. Now I need to get going."

"Hold on. Since you brought us into a dangerous situation which would have been avoided had you not interfered I need you to destroy the ground mounted AA Guns. I hear the Roof mounted were destroyed."

"Well I may as well not stop at just three. Give me the locations."

"There are six that are stopping us from leaving. Take them all out."

"I need to use your Comm System, I will call in a favour."

The Guard Commander ran into the room.

"Sir! Enemy reinforcements are arriving. I have the men positioned but they far outnumber us."

"Cipher, we need you out there. Destroy them or we wont make it out alive."

"While I'm out there call this frequency. There's a Bounty Hunter arriving on Corellia that owes me a favour. Give him the Co-Ordinates and those guns will no longer be a problem."

He ran out with the Commander and pulled his Sniper Rifle. He took position at the furthest point from the entrance but still with a clear shot. He activated his shield generator and his sniper position was secure. After a few seconds the building shook and he shouted to the rest of the guards about his little surprise. One minute later the Republic soldiers began entering the open roof and the space lit up with red blaster bolts flying in all directions. Within seconds a dozen soldiers had been cut down and the rest were in cover. Using his comm he spoke to the Commander.

"Did your men get an estimate on how many of them there were?"

"Nearly sixty."

He looked around and saw signs of at least twenty behind cover. The soldiers kept popping up and spaying suppressive fire, stopping the Imperials from getting off a shot. He took his chance and fired off a shot. One soldier dropped and shots started coming in his direction. He had deliberately picked this spot though as at that distance they would be unable to get a shot from an Assault Rifle through the small gap in his entrenched sniper's shield. He fired off another shot, and another. After five of them had fallen they changed tactics and threw out a grenade. It blew up and two guards were sent several meters across the ground. They other guards tried to retaliate but another two were shot down. There were now only four guards and himself against at least twenty soldiers. He threw his third last grenade out and blew apart a chunk of debris that had been providing cover to several soldiers. The explosion sent them sprawling to the ground and he took the chance to kill them all. The others began firing and the place lit up red again as both sides fired until the battleground was littered with blood, dust and holes. He threw out another grenade and sprayed fire at the area to make sure anyone there was killed. He checked on the guards and could see only the Commander left.

"Commander. Can you see any other guards or are they all dead?"

"I think it's just us left. I'm not even sure that there are any Republic people left now."

Just as he spoke another thirty appeared.

"Looks like that estimate was quite a bit off."

He commed the ship and spoke to the pilot.

"Put the guns in forward position and fire them at that wall."

"Will do sir!"

A few seconds later the guns moved and began firing. After several shots everyone was knocked off balance and Cipher 8 tried to right himself. He used his pistol to shoot at them and several more were killed. A dozen of them were getting up and before they had a chance to move his last grenade was thrown at them. Arms and heads were sent flying across the ground and the rest of them rushed into cover. He continued to pick them off but did not have much success. After a few minutes he decided ye had had enough, and remembered of the reasons he had not wanted to join the military. He finally decided to end the fight and rolled out of cover. He ran towards the enemies and crouched down at the nearest body. The Commander had decided to give him covering fire which allowed him a second to grab a grenade from the dead body. He threw it over the last piece of intact cover and as it blew up he shot into the mist. Once it cleared he walked past all the bodies and shot into them to make sure they were dead. After a minute he spoke to the Moff again.

"Did you speak to him?"

"Yes. He said this would even it out."

"That's fine. Now I need to get going. I suggest you leave now before more show up."

When he left the building he got back on his speeder and headed straight for the communication tower. Five minutes later he arrived and jumped off. There were over a dozen guards but nothing that would pose a problem. He went in through the entrance and started firing. Seconds later they had collapsed onto the ground and he went over to the console. He started uploading the data file Keeper had provided him.

"Cipher 8. I need to talk to you. Go to these Co-Ordinates. Sierra, Whiskey 66-Uniform, Lima 1. I will be waiting. And do not use that terminal. Send a message to the Republic and leave the building." The robotic voice cut the call and left him confused. He pondered over the decision to investigate the mystery figure or continue on like instructed. After several minutes he decided to find out what that had been about, so did as the voice had said and left.

When he arrived at the Co-Ordinates he could smell an overpowering stench of smoke and dead bodies. He went inside the burnt out building and saw what he has smelt as he arrived. There was a pile of Imperial bodies, their armour badly burned and the weapons melted to the floor. He continued and saw a personal holo-communicator. He picked it up as it was the only thing not damaged. It flashed to life and a droid appeared.

"Are you alone?"

"Why?"

"Answer the question, we don't have time for this."

"Yes. Now what do you want?"

"To talk. Uploading decryption program." The image flickered and a familiar person appeared.

"Here we are Cipher, together again."

"Watcher 7, I thought your death was a little too convenient."

"I didn't plan it, but I was prepared. I can explain how I did it later but right now we need to focus. You were sent here because the Star Cabal has been manipulating the war here for their own goals. If they continue, I believe they will destroy both sides within two months."

"That soon?"

"I believe so. Based on what I have. I take it you have Moff Zamar's report."

"I was about to send it to Keeper."

"Send it to me. That terminal was setup by the Cabal in case of emergencies. The terminal had a virus in it. I see you did as I asked so now the Republic is trying to reboot their systems, but it is only a temporary setback for them. Now that I have this information I can help us derail their plan, but to find their Headquarters I already have an idea. You might not like it though."

"It can't be any worse than when I was on Alderaan six years ago."

"A little. I need you to be captured and interrogated by them so I can find them."

"That is worse. Is there no other way?"

"I have tried to find one but no. I have found where they have a supply ship that goes up to a barge in the sky. There are all of the influential people that could have controlled the war here but instead are celebrating the destruction. The Cabal has kept them from doing anything useful. I want you to go there and he captured. Under interrogation you will break and tell them all about Darth Marr's secret team of Sith Assassins that are heading here."

"I take it that that is a lie."

"Yes. But they will believe you if you do this right. I have faked a few messages so if they look into it they will act. When they do they will need to call each other. The leaders will likely convene and from that I will be able to find them."

"I don't like this idea of torture."

"Don't worry about that. I have a serum here that will heal you completely. When you are ready to escape I will be unable to help. It will be down to you."

"I can handle that."

"Good. Here are the Co-Ordinates. When you escape got to grid sector XR345-W78L. And don't talk to Keeper at all or we could be compromised, I have him taken care of."


	19. Chapter 19

Cipher 8 came across the building and looked at it. There were blaster marks all over the walls and windows had been shot out. A bomb had gone off nearby a few days ago and there were serious structural cracks rising up the building. After a few minutes he was convinced that there was a low presence inside and so entered through the front door. He shot at six people and reached the shuttle. He set the course for the barge and ten minutes later he arrived.

As he stepped out a droid dressed in a droids tuxedo greeted him.

"It is a pleasure to have your company join us, Sir!"

"What is going on up here?"

"There is a wide variety of activities for you to enjoy up here. These include: Pazzak, Dancing, Drinking and a wide range of gambling games. If you ever need any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask any of the servant droids working here."

"What sort of people is there here?"

"Many of Corellia's rich and influential members are here while the Empire and Republic are fighting below. You will see many famous Business men and women here and just about anyone else with power and authority."

"Who owns this barge? Why were these people invited?"

"I am sorry Sir, but I do not have information regarding those topics. If you wish to ask anything else I will do my best to answer."

"That will be all."

"Of course, Sir! Please enjoy the party."

He moved on and walked up the stairs to the upper most level. There were security guards there and a holoterminal.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I must have wandered into the wrong area. I was looking for a good view and a drink."

"Scan complete. Identity confirmed as Cipher 8, from Imperial Intelligence's Operational Division."

"Thank you ZR-81. Good thing we have those droids here. They provide us with such good entertainment."

As he spoke several droids appeared and drew their weapons. As they pointed them at Cipher 8 he looked around at them.

"What do you plan on doing? Killing me?"

"Not yet. You worked for Watcher 7 while he was still alive..."

The Holoterminal flashed to life by itself and Hunter started speaking.

"Well look who it is.. Cipher 8. I was wondering when I'd see you again."

"I knew it wouldn't be long before I came across you again. What do you want?"

"This barge belongs to me, what is it you want here?"

"The people's assets."

"Well it's a shame they were all redistributed. But I know that is not why you came here. What have you got planned?"

"Nothing."

"I suppose I could believe that. Cipher agents do improvise in the field and you lost your only possible ally in this conflict. But you wouldn't just coke here hoping for something to happen. If you wont tell us now we will tear it from you. Captain, call for Draxus. He has some work to do."

Within seconds he could smell a gas and collapsed to the floor. As he was dragged to a lower deck he fell into a deeper and deeper sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

He woke up again for what must have been the twentieth time and screamed in agony as concentrated acid was dropped onto his arms. The drops burned holes through and blood began dripping down the side of the table. He had been falling between his conscious and unconscious states and was unable to think clearly. They kept forcing him to breathe in a gas that clouded his mind but increased the pain. The interrogator, Draxus, was a Ratataki and he seemed eager to take out his anger at the Human species on him. He had already cut off his two small fingers and seemed to be preparing for the others. He stayed awake for five minutes this time but very quickly he found himself slipping away into an infinite black fall.

He woke up again and was faced with a large needle. It plunged itself into his arm and within seconds he was unable to control his thoughts.

"What is your purpose here? Who sent you?"

"I don't...Arrggh."

Electric surged through him and he screamed. His throat was dry and as he filled the room with a symphony of screams blood trickled down his throat and he coughed.

"Tell me. Or you wont see another day."

"If you... kill me here... you get noth... nothing at all." He screamed again and knew his time was limited. An hour later they were still on the same activity but he realised they were going easy on him. They knew he was near death and didn't want to kill him.

"Drink this. Quickly."

Cipher 8 woke to the sound of someone's voice. He tiled his head and saw a young Woman with a cup of Water. He took the straw in his mouth and drank up as much as he could.

"There you go. They want an answer and soon. Otherwise they will give up on you. Three days has them tired of you now."

He tried clearing his throat.

"Did you... say three...?"

"Yes. Three days so far. You need to give up or you will be killed. Give them something. I may be here, on this barge while the war rages, but I was a loyal Imperial sympathiser before they invited me here. Let me help you, I need to try and make up for my mistakes."

She worked at the restraining cuffs on his arms and feet.

"There we are. Hopefully you can escape but I wouldn't count on that happening soon. I added a small amount of a recovery stim to that drink. You might be able to get free soon but I wont be able to help. I have to go now."

She ran off out the door and left him there. He tried moving his hands and looked at the cuffs. They were tight enough to make them think he was restrained but he felt them and knew he would be able to get out of here. With everything in motion he knew the time to get out was fast approaching.

The door opened and the light blinded him. His eyes stung and he closed them tight. When it shut he managed to look at the interrogators and realised now was the time to break.

"Now we are starting to tire of this. As much fun as this is we have work to do. You have one last chance to tell us everything you know."

"I wont tell you anything."

He could feel his strength returning a little at a time but he was far from able to leave. He tried to buy all the time he could.

"Do what you want, it matters nothing."

Draxus turned to the other man and gave him an order.

"Drench him."

A second later he was drenched with a liquid and knew he was about to be burned to death.

"Darth Marr has sent a secret squad of elite Sith Assassins to Corellia. They will be arriving soon I assume, it depends on how long I have been here."

"Three days."

"They will be here in a few hours then. They will arrive on a stealth shuttle, I don't know anything else."

"Leave him for now, we may need him again."

"Before he left Draxus knocked him unconscious and he slept for several hours.

He jumped up and gasped for air as he woke again for the thirtieth time. He tried to get in as much Oxygen as he could and tried to think about how long he had been there since their last visit. All he could remember was pain and darkness. After ten minutes he realised that they would not be coming back in for a little while and so realised this might be his only chance to escape. He shook and struggled at his restraining cuffs and after a few minutes finally shook them slack enough to slip his arms out. He undid the cuffs on his ankles and round his body. When he stood up he immediately fell back into the seat. He tried getting up slowly and gained his balance. After nearly twenty minutes he was up and had got a large knife from the table of torture equipment. He opened the door and walked left down the corridor. Minutes later he came across one droid and plunged the knife as far into its head as he could. The thing sparked and flashed before collapsing to the floor. He took its gun and continued. A few seconds later Draxus' assistant came across him and before he could shout a warning Cipher 8 shot him at near point blank range. He was pushed by the force into the wall behind him and slumped to the floor in a heap. He listened for another minute to make sure he hadn't been heard and when he was satisfied the noise of the music and bombs had covered it up he turned right. After shooting another two droids he found an exit to the open decks. He poked his head out the door and looked around. He could see at least a crowd of two dozen people dancing and lights were flashing. He kept looking around and decided to get a better vantage point. He retreated back inside and found a staircase. The barge was very traditional and seemed like an old fashioned house flying in the sky. He shot another guard and looked out his window. From there he saw more of the barge, including the landing pad. He saw four people moving out crates and knew this would be his only chance to escape. He looked at the layout of the deck and tried to memorise the route through the obstacles. He decided after a minute to leave it and find his way through later. He returned to the door he had been at earlier and left.

He crouched behind a row of crates and slowly made his way to the ship. When he reached the end of the row he poked his head out and looked for more cover. Finding nothing he tried to look for his best way to get past everyone. Just before he decided to leave and point his gun around he spotted the woman who had helped him to escape to this point. She was carrying a glass in one hand and downed the last mouthful. He waited and when she came to the table near his position he tried to discretely get her attention. She was about to leave when he slit his gun across the floor and under the table where it bumped into her feet. She looked over and spotted him in the darkness, hidden. She quickly kicked it back and put down her glass. She approached him and got into the darkness.

"You have your chance then?"

"Yes. My only one."

The floor suddenly vibrated slightly and he heard the sound of engines start.

"Crap, I need your help. The supply ship is about to leave in a few minutes and it's my only way off this barge. I can't get past everyone though and my aim isn't too steady right now."

"I have an idea."

One minute later she got back and picked up her glass. He took her time and began making her way to the landing pad. With Cipher 8 carefully concealed under her large dress he shuffled as she walked and together they convincingly enough reached the landing area without attracting attention. He got out when they were behind a wall separating the dancers from the area and she finished his wine.

"Thank you for the help. I wouldn't have made it out of there without you."

"It's the least I could do for giving them my assets. But I might be able to make it up to the Empire. Let me come with you."

"Why?"

"I want to get away. But we have to go _now_."

"Then come on. He raised the gun and turned the corner to the ship. It was just about to fly off when he shot the window and startled the pilot.

"You have five seconds to get out before I blow your bloody head off!"

The pilot panicked and opened the door. As he jumped out the woman got in and sat down at the controls. A dozen droids turned the corner and shot at them. Cipher 8 got in and shut the door while she got the ship in the air. Ten seconds later they were moving away and she flew round a building and away from the barge.

"Get us to this grid sector, XR345-W78L."

"I've set the course. What is the plan from there?"

"We split up. I have a mission to complete. You said you could make it up to the Empire, how?"

"I still have a few assets I can give you. I also spoke to many of the other guests and I know about some of what they still own. I will give all of this to the Empire. What should I do?"

"Take this shuttle to the Imperial Spaceport and contact General Durasat. Speak to him about what you have."

"Good. It's about time I helped out. Here we are, I will drop you here. Good luck."

"Thanks for the help. I hope you can help us turn the tide on this war. And good luck."

The door shut and Cipher 8 watcher as the shuttle rose into air. It flew off around a building and he turned. Watcher 7 had given him a sector but no information besides to help him find his position. Knowing him though it was likely he would be underground. He followed the street and found an opening to the sewage tunnel underground. He looked inside and decided to follow it for a while. He jumped in and landed in a puddle of waste. A bright flash lit up the tunnel and he went deeper to locate it. When he found the Holocomm he pressed it.

"Good to hear from you Cipher. How was the mission? That's a while you were gone."

"It was not my most favourite mission but still..."

"Anyway. Follow the tunnel and look for a small flight of steps. I have to go, get here quick."

Five minutes later he held his hand on the small access panel and a door slid open. He walked inside and it slid shut again.

"Good to have you here. Now come over here. You stink of shit and appear to be patched with crusty blood. Use the shower in here and get clean. I also have a clean set of Imperial Officer clothing for you. There's also a nutritionally optimised meal waiting for you when you are ready. But first."

Watcher 7 plunged the syringe into Cipher 8's arm and injected it.

"That was a very concentrated dose of the serum. It will heal you up. You will also need to take another one later to speed things up, along with a stim to increase your metabolic functions. We will have information to act on soon I would think."

"Good. I need to get clean this blood is really irritating me now. I'll talk to you in a while."

An hour later Cipher 8 finally arrived in the kitchen and sat down.

"I feel exhausted."

"You will. The serum will heal you up but drain you of energy. That's why I have prepared a meal for you. Soup, selection of steaks, desserts and drinks. Have as much as you want and get some sleep in the room at the end. I have left a sleep stim along with the other two on the bed. Take them all and when you wake up you will feel better. I still have work to do but we can talk later."

Watcher 7 left and Cipher 8 helped himself to two bowls of soup, a Bantha steak and a dessert, along with a large glass of Corellian Whiskey. After an hour of eating he went to the bed and took the injections. He got in and within seconds he was in one of the deepest sleeps of his life.


End file.
